Brag#574

ISSUE NO. 574 AUGUST 6, 2014

FREE Now picked up at over 1,500 places across Sydney and surrounds. thebrag.com

MUSIC, FILM, THEATRE + MORE

INSIDE This Week

JOHN MUR RY

He’s not as miserable as he’s made out to be.

W HOL E L O T TA L O V E

Stonefield’s Amy Findlay pays tribute to one of the greats.

T UBUL A R BEL L S F OR T W O Taking on Mike Oldfield’s classic the hard way.

ASH GRUNWALD

Blues and hip hop are a happy match, says the singer.

CLE A R SKIES AHE A D

Plus

DEVILDRIVER URTHBOY PROTEST THE HERO

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$04.0 4 .*%/*()5 ++JOHN STEELE SINGERS + THE OWLS

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BRAG :: 574 :: 06:08:14 :: 3

rock music news welcome to the frontline: the latest touring and music news...with Chris Martin, Tyson Wray and Gloria Brancatisano

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THE BRAG

speed date WITH

MELISSA OLIVEIRA

Your Profile Our sound is something quite 1. different for the jazz idiom. Even though we’re all jazz musicians and jazz is sort of the umbrella of this project, the show is so diversified that you can’t really label it. The lineup is one of the reasons for this.

We have turntables, visuals and the Portuguese guitar – a traditional Portuguese instrument used for fado.

Apart from the fusion of instruments there is also a fusion of styles – jazz, fado, catchy pop tunes and twisted versions of standards. Our tunes have a lot of drum’n’bass grooves and edgy melodies and the visuals include not only contemporary street art but also artwork by famous Dutch painter Piet Mondriaan. Jam – our visual artist – makes the whole show quite interactive, adding audiovisual solos and images that are synced to the music in real time.

Best Gig Ever The best gig I ever played was 3. in the Netherlands. Performing in the Netherlands can be a challenge – it takes a while to get an enthusiastic crowd and sometimes people really enjoy the show but simply don’t express it, so you never know what they’re thinking. We played at a festival in Haarlem and when we walked onstage we immediately noticed that the audience was quite old (in an age range between 50 to 70) so we were quite doubtful whether our style of music would be

a good fit, but it was the contrary.

It was the loudest and most lively audience we’ve ever had in the Netherlands – they even danced!

Current Playlist I’m listening to Jojo Mayer 4. right now because I’m really into drum’n’bass beats. I recently saw an amazing Helsinki/Berlin-based band called Elifantree – voice, drums, saxophone and electronics. The band has such a unique sound and uncommon lineup and their tunes are really energetic.

Your Ultimate Rider The ultimate rider would 5. include a gigantic ten-metre screen behind us for the visuals and the audience would be viewing the show from above us on a higher level.

Who: Melissa Oliveria feat. Jam Where: Foundry616 When: Friday August 8

BLUEJUICE CALL IT A DAY

“Good luck and don’t dare give up / Give it a little bit of vitriol!” Well, Bluejuice have given us plenty of vitriol over the years – alongside all those unstoppable melodies, rockin’ choruses and onstage antics for which we’ve grown to love them – but now it’s time they indeed gave it up. After 13 years (and a fruitful period in which one Jake Stone was the BRAG’s resident singles reviewer), Bluejuice are saying farewell.

Their greatest hits album Retrospective will be out Friday September 19 through Dew Process, and they’ll play Newcastle’s Bar On The Hill on Thursday October 23 before a last hurrah at the Metro Theatre on Friday October 24. Goodbye, you cheeky bastards.

MANAGING EDITOR: Chris Martin chris@thebrag.com 02 9212 4322 ONLINE EDITOR: Tyson Wray ONLINE COORDINATOR: Emily Meller SUB-EDITOR: Emily Meller STAFF WRITERS: Krissi Weiss, Augustus Welby NEWS: Gloria Brancatisano, Amie Mulhearn, Tyson Wray ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant PHOTOGRAPHERS: James Ambrose, Katrina Clarke, Ashley Mar ADVERTISING: Georgina Pengelly - 0416 972 081 / (02) 9212 4322 georgina@thebrag.com ADVERTISING: Les White - 0405 581 125 / (02) 9212 4322 les@thebrag.com PUBLISHER: Furst Media MANAGING DIRECTOR, FURST MEDIA: Patrick Carr - patrick@furstmedia.com.au, (03) 9428 3600 / 0402 821 122 DIGITAL DIRECTOR/ADVERTISING: Kris Furst kris@furstmedia.com.au, (03) 9428 3600

Bluejuice

THIS IS THE GLOAMING

Irish-American folk supergroup The Gloaming are coming to Sydney. The quintet, fronted by Iarla Ó Lionaird (Afro-Celt Soundsystem), has been likened to groups like Buena Vista Social Club and Sigur Rós. The Gloaming play a modernised version of traditional Celtic music.

See them at the Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House on Monday October 27.

GIG & CLUB GUIDE COORDINATORS: Fergus Halliday, Nic Liney, Emily Meller gigguide@thebrag.com (rock); clubguide@ thebrag.com (dance, hip hop & parties) AWESOME INTERNS: Amie Mulhearn, Nic Liney, Fergus Halliday

KING GIZZ DOING THE BIZ

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nat Amat, Ian Barr, Prudence Clark, Keiron Costello, Marissa Demetriou, Christie Eliezer, Blake Gallagher, Cameron James, Tegan Jones, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Mina Kitsos, Emily Meller, Adam Norris, Daniel Prior, Kate Robertson, Erin Rooney, Leonardo Silvestrini, Amy Theodore, Rod Whitfield, Harry Windsor, Tyson Wray, Stephanie Yip, David James Young

King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard have locked in a new run of headline shows on home soil. They’ve just returned from their debut USA/Canadian tour where they performed at Austin Psych Fest, Canadian Music Week and held down a month-long residency at Baby’s Alright in Brooklyn. While on the tour The Gizz spent a month in the mountains recording their soon-to-be-released sixth LP. After their return jaunt to Australia they’ll head back to the US and Europe, so don’t miss what will likely be your last chances to see them this year. Catch ’em on Friday August 22 at Goodgod Small Club and Saturday August 23 at the Newtown Social Club.

Please send mail NOT ACCOUNTS direct to this NEW address 100 Albion Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 ph - (02) 9212 4322 fax - (02) 9319 2227 EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, editors or staff of the BRAG. ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Luke Forrester: accounts@furstmedia.com.au ph - (03) 9428 3600 fax - (03) 9428 3611 Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond Victoria 3121 DEADLINES: Editorial: Thursday 12pm (no extensions) Artwork/ad bookings: Friday 5pm (no extensions) Ad cancellations: Tuesday 4pm Published by Furst Media P/L ACN 1112480045 All content copyrighted to Cartrage P/L / Furst Media P/L 2003-2014 DISTRIBUTION: Wanna get the BRAG? Email distribution@ furstmedia.com.au or phone 03 9428 3600 PRINTED BY SPOTPRESS: www.spotpress.com.au 24 – 26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204

4 :: BRAG :: 574 :: 06:08:14

DUNGOG FESTIVAL

The Hunter Valley’s Dungog Festival has announced its 2014 music program. You Am I frontman Tim Rogers will appear at the event, which runs over four days in various venues around Dungog. Also on board are The Paper Kites, Husky and Meg Mac (playing Dungog High School). The Dungog Festival will be held from Thursday August 28 – Sunday August 31.

Sara Bareilles

SARA BAREILLES

After supporting Maroon 5 on their 2011 Australian tour, Sara Bareilles has announced she will be returning to our shores for a run of headline shows this September. Bareilles’ 2007 hit ‘Love Song’ put her on the musical map, reaching number one in 22 countries around the world and staying in the Billboard Top 100 for 41 weeks, peaking at number four. Her latest album added another two Grammy nominations to her list, for Album of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for lead single ‘Brave’. Bareilles will play at the City Recital Hall Angel Place on Sunday September 21. Tickets go on sale 9am Thursday August 7.

Lincoln

BAD//DREEMS

Hotly tipped new Ivy League signings Bad// Dreems are turning heads around the country, and they’re set to win plenty more admirers on a new national tour. The pub rockers’ new dates come in support of latest cut ‘My Only Friend’, which follows up their triple j hit ‘Dumb Ideas’.

Having just supported The Preatures, and following festival sets at Laneway and Groovin The Moo this year, Bad//Dreems play Newtown Social Club on Thursday September 18.

SCREAMFEEDER

Indie rock darlings Screamfeeder will celebrate the reissue of their four classic ’90s albums with a short national tour this spring. The dates will see them focus on songs from their albums Flour, Burn Out Your Name, Fill Yourself With Music and the 1996 smash Kitten Licks.

See Screamfeeder at Newtown Social Club on Friday October 3 with The Laurels and Freak Wave in tow.

LINCOLN

Indie-pop performer Lincoln has had a busy run of late, and all roads lead to her EP launch at FBi Social next Saturday August 16.

‘Undone’ and ‘Fading Light’ are the two lead singles from Visions Of A Fading Light, out now through online retailers. Meanwhile, when the solo singer isn’t onstage or penning her piano-driven, cello-infused tunes, she works as an emergency nurse. How’s that for a double life? Support at her launch comes from Polarheart, Paul Conrad and Callum Wylie.

thebrag.com

xxx

Busy I’ve been touring a bit in the 2. Keeping

Netherlands and Portugal and now…

Australia! We’re really excited about recording our second album in October because it will be a live DVD. Our first CD doesn’t have the visual part included (because we didn’t have this lineup at the time) and people always ask us where they can get a video recording of the show, so now we’ll be able to add the visual layer to the album for fans to enjoy.

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BRAG :: 574 :: 06:08:14 :: 5

live & local

free stuff

welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town...with Chris Martin and Gloria Brancatisano

speed date WITH

Kate Miller-Heidke

RITA SATCH

Your Profile My music is heavily influenced by ’60s soul, 1. the rich harmonies of Motown, as well as the dark soulful beats and modern grooves of the UK’s underground music scene. I like to write pop songs about romantic tragedies, things I see in my dreams and past experiences. What I look for in a fan is someone who can connect with my music and who will come to my shows.

At my last gig a fan brought me some Haigh’s chocolate, that was pretty rad! A fan who brings you gifts is next level.

2.

Keeping Busy The past few months have been pretty crazy! I played my EP launch in my hometown Melbourne at The Toff in Town last month. It’s been so great to be playing headlining shows again as I’ve spent the last year in the studio focusing on finishing my EP. This week I’ll be doing a few gigs in Sydney as part of my EP launch tour, I can’t wait! I’m looking forward to playing more shows over the summer and getting back into the studio for some more recording.

in a while. It was pretty amazing to have a packed-out room with people singing along to my songs. Everyone in the room was vibing

and it just felt like one big massive party.

Current Playlist At the moment I’ve been listening to a lot 4. of old-school hip hop – like Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, J Dilla. I’m loving Beck’s new record, and another artist I can’t get enough of lately is Emily King. The last gig that absolutely blew my mind was seeing Chris Dave and The Drumhedz play at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival earlier this year… I think they played encore for a whole hour! It was one of the most intense yet incredibly satisfying gigs I’ve seen in a while and left me feeling pretty inspired to push my own musical boundaries.

Your Ultimate Rider I’m not a crazy diva so wouldn’t really 5. be needing all that much… A nice bottle of whisky, a pack of cards, some Cherry Ripe and fresh pepperoni and margarita pizza for after the show would suffice.

What: Rita Satch out now With: Lana Rita, Hannah Robinson Where: FBi Social When: Thursday August 7 And: Also appearing at The Music Lounge, Brookvale on Friday August 8 and Opera Bar on Saturday August 9

KATE MILLER-HEIDKE

She’s got one of the most spectacular voices in Australian pop, that’s for sure – and now Kate Miller-Heidke is hitting the road again to share it with us. The singer went independent to release her latest album, O Vertigo!, and she’s proud of it for finally matching her live show.

Recently she told the BRAG: “Now I’m a bit older and feeling more experienced with my voice, what comes with that is more playfulness … it always made sense to push those boundaries live but not as much in the studio.” If you haven’t yet heard the record, get on that ASAP – and then see Miller-Heidke live at The Concourse in Chatswood on Friday August 15. We’ve got two double passes to give away to the show. For your chance to win one, head to thebrag.com/freeshit and tell us your favourite Kate Miller-Heidke song.

Xxx

Best Gig Ever My EP launch at The Toff would definitely 3. have to be one of my favourite gigs I’ve played

Trinity Bar

THE DECLINE

The Decline

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

Perth four-piece The Decline will be heading around the country this September for the Man Gets Hit With Football national tour (one for The Simpsons fans, no doubt). The first three stops on the tour – in Newcastle, Brisbane and Nambour – see the boys supporting The Bennies, before heading off on their own for the next five shows.

See them playing Valve Bar at the Agincourt Hotel on Thursday September 18. Support on the night comes from Ivan Drago, Ben Elliot and more.

YOU CAN’T TEACH EXPERIENCE

Nova And The Experience

Picture Perfect

Up-and-coming indie-popsters Nova And The Experience will launch their debut EP next week at Brighton Up Bar. The band recently took out the Discovered At Marble Bar competition, winning a coveted residency at the famous CBD venue, and has worked with ARIA Awardnominated producer Lachlan Mitchell on new EP Where We Go. They play Brighton Up on Saturday August 9 with support from Gena Rose Bruce and Joe Mungovan.

CROWN STREET SHOPFRONTS BECOME VENUES

Shopfronts, bars and venues on Crown Street in Surry Hills will be transformed into music and performance venues for one afternoon during Sydney Fringe Festival 2014. Ignite – Heat The Street is a collaboration between the Fringe, APRA AMCOS, the National Live Music Office and the Surry Hills community. Over 30 local acts will perform in a variety of venues between Foveaux and Devonshire streets that don’t regularly see live music. Artists include The Potbelleez, Lime Cordiale, Avivaa, All Our Exes Live In Texas, Emma Pask and more. Ignite – Heat The Street takes over Crown Street on Sunday August 31, with Trinity Bar acting as its hub.

RICHARD CUTHBERT

Drunk Mums

Sydney favourite Richard Cuthbert has a new EP to share. It’s called Winterlude (fitting, this time of year) and was recorded with Conrad Richters, with contributions from Joe Driver, Georgia Mooney and Emily Irvine. The coolest dude on the local scene (OK, arguably) plays the Lansdowne Hotel this Friday August 8 with support from The Maple Trail and Melodie Nelson, and Chubby Thumbs DJs will spin until late.

INNERSOUL LIVE

We can’t confirm whether or not Picture Perfect are named after the 1997 Jennifer Aniston movie, but there’ll be nothing soft about their set at Hermann’s Bar next week. The Sydney trio plays classic Aussie pub rock with an injection of punk, and has supported the likes of Calling All Cars and The Radiators. Well Alright! is the name of the band’s latest EP, and new single ‘Faceless Man’ will launch at the gig on Saturday August 16.

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RED RIVER SHORE

This week’s edition of 10 O’Clock Rock at Frankie’s Pizza features Sydney blues collective Red River Shore. The six-piece has only landed on the scene relatively recently, but with debut single ‘Wild Wild Wind’ winning fans, you’ll want to check them out. Plus, any band with a double bass onstage is well worth the time, right? Expect plenty of guitar soloing, solid rhythms and bass, of course, on Thursday August 7.

BEACH ROAD HOTEL

Drunk Mums will be at this week’s edition of Sosueme at Beach Road Hotel… and so will the band (har, har, har). The punked-up pub rockers from down Melbourne way – they moved there from Cairns – return for the first time since early this year on Wednesday August 6 with The Hollow Bones and Beni. Meanwhile, Saturday August 9 sees Gang Of Brothers take over the venue, doing a cross of rock and funk with plenty of ’tude. In support are Poly and Ashley Ellen.

thebrag.com

Nova And The Experience photo by Carsten Burmeister

PICTURE PERFECT

Next week, Surry Hills’ Play Bar hosts another instalment of quality Sydney soul. Because what better way to put the soul back into the city than hanging with artists like Wayne Chater and Scott Teu? Chater’s a singer-songwriter and sometime Devonshire Street Tunnel busker, while Teu has collaborated with a whole bunch of artists on the local scene. Check them out next Tuesday August 12.

D OZ

ENS

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Industrial Strength Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer

Drug-Related Violence, has cut operating hours, introduced a 3am close and limited bottle shop sales. The deadline is August 15; go to parliament.nsw.gov.au.

THINGS WE HEAR * UK punk band The 4130s are re-recording their debut album and giving all proceeds to the RSPCA after former drummer Oliver Lown was found guilty of having sex with a horse and a dog. * The INXS Very Best album has picked up its fourth platinum certification while Eminem’s Curtain Call and Bon Jovi’s Greatest Hits are six times platinum. Ed Sheeran’s X picked up its first platinum and the Frozen soundtrack its second. * The Beautiful Girls are relying on crowdfunding for their October-due Dancehall Days (71% raised with a month to go) while The Riptides also hit PledgeMusic for Tombs Of Gold, their debut album that never was. Lead singer Mark Callaghan unearthed some gems in the vaults, with a selection to be given to pledgers. * Newcastle live music venue the Sydney Junction Hotel on Beaumont Street has been bought by a Sydney operator, while the site of Wollongong’s onetime music mecca Oxford Tavern has now been torn down to make way for apartments.

* British music trade association BPI will receive ÂŁ3 million from UK record companies and performers to fight piracy in 2014. * Just before his Splendour appearance, Outkast’s AndrĂŠ 3000 had a surfing lesson. FasterLouder said he walked up to a guy called Benny on the street and said, “You look like a surfer, do you want to teach me how to surf?â€? Benny put him on to Sean Riley from Byron’s Soul Surf School who did the honours. * Melbourne neo-gothic singer Elodie Adams’s debut single ‘Born To Love You’ was picked by US game designer Lorne Lanning (he runs game developer Oddworld Inhabitants) as the new theme for PlayStation title Oddworld: New ‘N’ Tasty. He discovered her on Facebook. The track is from her debut EP inSUBORDINATE which is launched at the Tote in Melbourne on Sunday August 31. * Aussie promoter Andrew McManus released a statement slamming a Sydney Morning Herald piece in June that cited a police interview in 2012 alleging he’d not paid bands including Fleetwood Mac

SYDNEY VENUES TO COMMENT ON LOCKOUTS Sydney venue owners have the opportunity to tell the NSW Government how the lockouts introduced in February have affected their

and avoided tax. McManus denied all, called the piece “defaming and character damaging� and attacked journalist Kate McClymont using terms our lawyer won’t let us print. * At Childish Gambino’s show at Sydney Hordern Pavilion, he rapped, “I’m the best rapper, defi nitely top five. I cut their head off, that’s every rapper living.

That’s Kendrick, that’s Drake, that’s ScHoolboy, that’s everyone. I don’t give a fuck.� * As an alternative to DJ Mag’s annual Top 100 DJ list (currently topped by German jock Hardwell), Bottom100DJs.com has emerged looking for the worst while using a voting form similar to DJ Mag’s. * The Brisbane Courier-Mail, citing their long delay in releasing an album, asked: “Have The Veronicas fallen on hard times?� after the sisters put their second-hand clothes for sale on social media. * Rapper Danny Brown, speaking to triple j, said his two-song collaboration with The Avalanches will “change the world�. * To no-one’s surprise, the reunion of the original Hole fell through.

business. Submissions are invited ahead of an inquiry and report by the Assembly Committee on Law and Public Safety. The controversial legislation, which will be examined in the inquiry into Measures to Reduce Alcohol and

E HIFI 1300 THO M.AU

THEHIFI.C

ALBERTS SOUND DOCUMENTARY A two-part documentary about the legendary Alberts record company (AC/DC, The Angels, Rose Tattoo, The Easybeats, John Paul Young) is set to be screened on ABC TV. Screen Australia is providing funding for the doco, called Let There Be Rock: The Story Of Alberts Sound. It will be made by Beyond Screen Productions with writer/director Paul Clarke and producer Martin Fabinyi. Alberts is probably the most successful Aussie independent label internationally.

ONE IN EVERY EIGHT ALBUMS SOLD IS BY A BRIT ACT One in every eight artist albums sold across the globe in 2013 was from a British act, giving the Brits a 13% share of world album sales. That number was 13.3% in 2012, but remains up from 2011 (12.6%) and 2010 (11.8%). The biggest global selling album was by a UK act, One Direction’s Midnight Memories (four million copies).

VANDA & YOUNG SONGWRITING COMP The Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition is back, with the winner set to take $50,000 courtesy Alberts and APRA AMCOS. The runners-up get $10,000 thanks to AMPAL, and third place $5,000 courtesy of new sponsor, venue manager AEG Ogden. The Encouragement Award has a cash prize of $2,000 donated by last year’s winners, The Preatures. Entries close Monday September 22 – go to apraamcos.com.au/ vandayoungsongcomp. To date, the comp has raised $485,000 for Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia.

SPLENDOUR NOISE GRIPES Splendour In The Grass was a success on most fronts. But a shift in wind direction on the Sunday lead to noise complaints, Byron Shire News reported. A resident seven kilometres away complained, “You could hear ever [sic] single announcement and every song,� while another said his “windows were shaking�. Inspectors from the NSW Department of Planning and Environment were onsite to monitor noise levels (and will release a report in November), while Splendour had its own consultants measure 100 readings from homes. North Parklands manager Mat Morris told the paper the problem was the wind but some residents had embarked on a doorknocking “campaign� to encourage neighbours to ring the festival hotline and complain.

USA’S REDEYE INCREASING AUSSIE PRESENCE

Coming Soon

Wed 13 Aug

Fri 15 Aug

Hanson

UZ (Mad Decent)

America’s Redeye Distribution is looking to hire an Australia-based international sales and marketing territorial representative. The primary responsibility is to manage sales and marketing functions in Australia as well as New Zealand and Asia for physical and digital sales. Co-owner Tor Hansen will be in Australia from September 9 to 17, primarily to speak at Bigsound but also to meet with their partners in distribution, digital music services and tour promoters. Send a CV and cover letter to tor@redeyeusa.com.

SOUNDWAVE VS ADELAIDE COUNCIL PT. 2 Sat 16 Aug

Fri 22 Aug

Sat 23 Aug

UNDRGRND

Justice Crew

Kid Ink

Thu 28 Aug

Sat 6 Sep

Rave of Thrones feat.

Kristian Nairn aka Hodor

DevilDriver & Whitechapel

Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah cracked the proverbial when Adelaide City Council called for public consultation on the festival.

Maddah said the move jeopardised its future in that city, and urged fans to register their support on Council’s “cynical website�. “It appears that Adelaide is becoming the town that time forgot,� he told The Advertiser. “There is a reason why young people are fleeing the so-called festival state.� Council said public consultation was standard for events at Parklands and had no intention of getting rid of Soundwave. “ACC welcomes music festivals and events to the city and recognises the importance of them and the enjoyment they bring to many people.� In 2013 the festival lost its $10,000 bond after four noise complaints.

NEW SIGNINGS: SOCIAL FAMILY ADDS THREE Fri 12 Sep

Sat 27 Sep

Sun 5 Oct

El Gran Combo

Rebel Souljahz (USA)

Dead Kennedys

ENTERTAINMENT QUARTER, BUILDING 220, 122 LANG RD, MOORE PARK, SYDNEY

8 :: BRAG :: 574 :: 06:08:14

Social Family Records has signed singer, actor and dancer Christine Anu, who releases Island Christmas in November; roots performer Amber Lawrence, whose fourth album Superheroes is due in September;

and 2013’s X Factor finalist Jason Owen, who is working on his second album. “We must be one of the luckiest indie labels on the block this week,� said SFR co-founder and CEO Jake Challenor. SFR is distributed by EMI/Universal.

Its roster includes Baby Animals, Damien Leith, The Dead Daisies, Steve Balbi and David Campbell via his label, Luckiest Records.

Meanwhile, 16-year-old Sydneysider Latifa Tee has been signed by US management company F.A.M.E, home of Redfoo.

Lifelines Expecting: Missy Higgins and fiancĂŠ Dan Lee, a Broome-based musician (Cable Bitches) and playwright, are expecting a boy in January, News.com.au reported.

Born: son Jack Lion to Evanescence’s Amy Lee. Hospitalised: Jordan Martin, 22, and Laura McMillan, 19, of Lismore, were injured when an illegal taxi they got into after waiting at a bus stop to go to Splendour In The Grass crashed on the Pacific Highway while speeding.

In Court: Geelong nightclub owner Mark Currie (Rumours, Vinyl Bar) was released on $100,000 bail following his arrest for alleged coke, E and pot possession, trafficking pot and two counts of possessing a prohibited weapon after raids on his clubs and home on July 25.

He returns to court on August 22.

In Court: ex-2MC/Star FM news director Nick O’Callaghan, 53, was found guilty on six charges of indecently assaulting a minor and having child abuse porn.

Suing: Pussy Riot’s Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina hit the Russian government for their imprisonment, seeking ₏120,000 each for violation of human rights.

In Court: Jacquelin Loveless, 23, copped an order from the Ballarat Magistrates Court to be assessed for a community corrections order after she assaulted staff of Regent Cinema with a manager’s walkie talkie.

They had asked her to leave during a Pete Murray show because of her drunk antics.

In Court: Kanye West won his suit against the creators of a digital currency called Coinye, which had his unauthorised likeness and name attached.

Arrested: an 18-year-old man for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl during a Keith Urban concert in Massachusetts. The man claimed sex was consensual after they met on the lawn outside, and people were filming them.

Died: former NSW radio announcer and copywriter Ross Weekes, at 93.

Died: Manny Roth, 94, founder of New York’s CafÊ Wha? club where Bob Dylan, Hendrix and Peter Paul & Mary began. His nephew was David Lee Roth.

Died: US guitarist and songwriter Dick Wagner (Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, KISS), 71, of respiratory failure after undergoing heart surgery in early July.

Died: Michael Johns, 35, the Perth-born singer who was a finalist on American Idol in 2008, of a blood clot in his ankle.

Died: one of Australia’s first rock’n’rollers, Johnny Rebb, 79.

Born John Dellbridge, his band The Rebels notched up five Top 20 hits including ‘Hey Sheriff’ and ‘Pathway To Paradise’ on Leedon Records. He went solo in the mid’60s and quit music in 1976 to run a panel beating shop in Sydney.

thebrag.com

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BRAG :: 574 :: 06:08:14 :: 9

W

e’re forever hearing stories about bands travelling to some far-off place to record an album. Other than being an expensive way to fill a press release, the constructive outcome of these adventures is somewhat debatable. Melbourne’s hardy rock’n’roll men Kingswood will release their debut long player Microscopic Wars on Friday August 22. To record the album, the hirsute four-piece nestled in at Nashville’s Blackbird Studio, which has previously captured noise from the likes of Beck, Kings Of Leon and Jack White. Those are some prestigious names, but did the trip overseas have any substantial impact on the recorded output?

“One of the benefits of going to Nashville is you just end up in this complete bubble of creativity – especially with creative people around you – and the means to investigate any idea you want to the nth degree,” says Kingswood guitarist Alex Laska. “[That] was so pure to what our vibe was at the time. There’s no distortion or influence, apart from our own, which is perfect.”

Escaping their regular distractions to focus exclusively on music seems a permissible justification. But why did they choose Nashville? Well, thanks to its rich musical resources, the Tennessee capital is luring in musicians of all orientations. Nashville might be widely known as the home of tacky country music, but Laska says there’s far more to it.

“There’s this top layer of clichéd country – cowboy boots and big hats and big silver gunslinger belt buckles and honky-tonks and everyone playing Johnny Cash covers and Lynyrd Skynyrd. But peel back that layer and it’s just amazing. There’s so many different little cultures and things happening in and around Nashville. Going out, you get to experience it a lot. You go down Broadway any night of the week from 6pm until 3am, there’s at least 50 or so venues having live bands all night, every night.”

For individuals, travelling overseas often sheds light on the overwhelming number of people coexisting on this planet. Plying in the music industry – a flippantly selective arena – the smallness of one’s band can be despair-inducing. So, did witnessing the scope of Nashville’s musical community alarm Kingswood? Hardly.

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READY FOR BATTLE

BY AUGUSTUS WELBY

the Olympics. It’s fine if you’ve gone as hard as you can and come fifth. That’s completely different to going, ‘I’m aiming for fifth.’ We’ve always had that aesthetic of working really hard or trying to be really objective about things.”

If you’re looking for concrete evidence of the band’s inherent determination, then Microscopic Wars ought to suffice. As you might expect from Kingswood, the 13-track sequence comprises plenty of heavy riffing, wailing vocals and impressive lead guitar flourishes. Additionally, it includes the slowburning sensuality of ‘I Can Feel That You Don’t Love Me’, ready-made arena anthem ‘Tremor’ and the piano-laden tenderness of ‘Eye Of The Storm’.

“I think this album is pretty diverse, and it was designed to be an album,” says Laska, the group’s key songwriter. “It’s not designed to be a bunch of cool singles. If you listen to it from the start to the end, it makes sense. If you shuffle it, it might not make that much sense.

You listen to it like you’d read a book – start at the start and finish at the end.

“Internally, the way we perceive ourselves is being musically diverse and interesting,” he continues. “I think interest is something that often is missed these days in music. Not to say that I don’t find other music interesting. But in the realm of rock’n’roll and the perceptions and expectations that should accompany

those words, sometimes I don’t think it’s that interesting.”

Microscopic Wars is certainly a hotly anticipated release, courtesy of a lengthy journey that led Kingswood to this level. After slogging away in the Melbourne pub scene for a couple of years, the band was selected by triple j to open 2012’s Splendour In The Grass.

They haven’t left the limelight since, issuing a two-year succession of high-rotation singles and steadily improving as songwriters all the while.

Since day one, Kingswood’s hard-hitting sound has incited comparisons to rock titans such as Queens of the Stone Age and Led Zeppelin. Indeed, the mark of these two acts is evident throughout Microscopic Wars, but the foundational objective was to display what it is that makes Kingswood distinct.

“There’s no doubt that they’re huge influences on our band,” Laska says, “but this [album] is actually our view, musically, on what sort of directions we want to go in. Not to say that we hide away from [those comparisons] at all. I think it’s a huge compliment – they’re arguably two of the greatest rock’n’roll bands of all time.

“If you put on our older stuff, which thank God we never released,” he adds, “you would put that on and it would sound like Led Zeppelin, but just a really shit version of it. Obviously there’s teething problems. You’ve got to try to

“A PHILOSOPHY WE’VE HAD AND ALWAYS WILL HAVE IS WE WANT TO BE THE BEST THAT WE CAN BE. OTHERWISE, WHY WOULD YOU EVEN BOTHER?”

An integral component that’s assisted with the band’s considerable creative progression is its receptivity to criticism. Paying heed to honest feedback, be it praiseworthy or disapproving, is essential in allowing for constructive advancement.

“If there’s an ounce of credit or merit to something that someone says that may be critical, whether it’s good criticism or bad criticism, then we’ll definitely investigate it. You can’t be the band that goes out and goes, ‘Fuck everyone. Everything that we do is the best thing in the world and everyone’s wrong.’ That’s the dumbest thing you could possibly do. We try to be super-critical before we put things out.”

As Laska has mentioned, Microscopic Wars is intended to play as a continuous piece, rather than a compilation of unrelated songs. Thanks to the group’s internal critique mechanism, it was able to get the track sequencing just right.

“We would just make playlists and listen to them for a week and then someone would make one change and then we’d sit on that for a couple of days. It’s so much about the arcs and the lulls in how it makes you feel. I think that we’ve got it right – but what’s right and wrong?”

Well, ultimately that judgement isn’t up to the band. Once the record enters the public domain, in many ways it’s no longer theirs. Not surprisingly, the resolutely chipper guitarist isn’t daunted by this prospect.

“We’re very interested to see how it may change the perception of the band. Whether that be positive or negative is sort of irrelevant.

I think change is good.

“This first album is sort of like an official statement saying, ‘This is what we sound like and this is the direction we have going musically.’ This is something we’ve been working on, we’re really proud of and excited about – I wonder what will happen.”

What: Microscopic Wars out Friday August 22 through Dew Process Where: Newtown Social Club When: Wednesday August 27 And: Also appearing at the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle on Thursday September 18 and the Collector Hotel, Parramatta on Saturday September 20 xxx

“A philosophy we’ve had and always will have is we want to be the best that we can be,” says Laska. “Otherwise, why would you even bother? It’s like being a sprinter and going, ‘I’m cool with coming fifth,’ when you’re training for

KINGSWOOD

find what is yours and sometimes that is really obvious and evident and sometimes it’s not.”

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Protest The Hero Master Of Puppets By David James Young

A

fter holding onto the same lineup for over a decade, a shake-up came within the fold of Canada’s Protest The Hero when drummer Moe Carlson announced he was leaving the band shortly before the recording of fourth album Volition. If that wasn’t enough, this past March saw the band’s bassist, Arif Mirabdolbaghi, depart to focus on other projects. It was a lot for the remaining three members of the group to take on the chin – but there was never any question as to whether it would end the band entirely.

“I mean, life is change, isn’t it?” ponders Rody Walker, the band’s lead vocalist. “If you can’t adapt, it gets into all that Darwinian bullshit. We could have just packed it in – when Arif was leaving the band, it felt like the whole thing was falling apart. It felt like we were in That Thing You Do! or something. I dunno, I’m not good at anything else. I’m not that great at this, but at least I got a start at it. I didn’t really have any plans of packing up, and thankfully Luke [Hoskin] and Tim [Millar] feel the same way. I mean, we persevere. We have to. What else would we do – go back to school? No fucking thank you!”

Volition, released last October, has done incredibly well for a band of self-confessed outsiders. It marked Protest The Hero’s third top ten appearance in the Canadian album charts, while also landing their highest position to date on the Billboard 200 (at number 20). The band also did an entertaining music video for ‘Underbite’, in which a gang of fi nger puppets attends a rock show and one jilted fan discovers the truth about his favourite group. So, was it fun to make?

“Oh, it wasn’t,” says Walker with a heavy sigh.

“Usually, when we do videos, the Canadian government is really good at wasting taxpayers’ money. They hand us a lot of money so we can hire all sorts of people to do all sorts of work. With this video, they didn’t give us a whole lot of money, so we had to do all the shit ourselves. We did all the puppeteering that you see in the video. I remember being crouched into this superweird yoga position with four puppets on each hand, moving them about for the entire duration of the song. My back will never be the same! I hated it. I’m really happy with how the video turned out, but I just really hated making it!”

Protest The Hero, despite the intrinsic and often intense nature of their music, are the kind of band that enjoys frequent goofi ng off and having as much fun as possible. It’s a balance that Walker himself feels is important to strike – especially in the world of rock stardom and bands desperately attempting credibility. “The music sounds so fucking serious – and, I guess it is, to some degree,” he says. “As people, though, we’re not serious at all. We act the fool quite a bit. I think it’s important to have that represented in our videos or our live shows. Just whenever we get a chance to fl ap our dicks around, really.

So many bands think they’re so fucking cool, and they’ll get up and be like…” At this point, he puts on a big, gruff rockstar voice. “‘This is a rock show, everybody get up for the rock show!’ I mean, no-one is that cool! I hate to crack everyone’s crystal ball, but no-one in metal or punk or rock music is cool. We’re all fucking losers, just like everybody else!”

“I hate to crack everyone’s crystal ball, but no-one in metal or punk or rock music is cool. We’re all fucking losers, just like everybody else!”

Nearly a year on from Volition’s release, Protest The Hero are set to return to Australian shores for a run of shows this September, taking in most capital cities. The band is prepared, both mentally and physically, for the impending dates. “We’re not looking forward to the fl ight over, because it’s crazy,” says Walker. When asked if he has any strategies for long fl ights, he can think of only one: “I like to eat a really big meal before I get on the fl ight, so at least I have a decent shit to look forward to around halfway through the fl ight. Y’know, just to break things up a bit.”

Charming. But back to Australia.

“September is right around the time that Canada starts getting really cold – the weather really takes a nosedive. So we’re kind of looking to extend our summer a little by visiting you guys. Also, it’s been really good for us because we know that Australian guys are normally way more buff than Canadian guys, so we’ve all just spent the last few months hitting the gym and downing protein shakes.”

It’s mentioned to Walker that several tours are going through Australia at the same time as them, including Bob Dylan, Biffy Clyro, DevilDriver, You Me At Six and Anberlin. “So you’re saying no-one’s gonna be at our show?” he laughs. “There’s no way we can compete with Bob Dylan!” But surely Bob Dylan’s fans and Protest The Hero’s fans have a very small crossover? “Yeah, I guess we do have a c--tish clientele,” agrees Walker.

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xxx

What: Volition out now through Spinefarm/ Caroline With: Arteries, Red Bee Where: Manning Bar When: Friday September 5

Whole Lotta Love Amy Findlay’s Inspiration By Erin Rooney

W

ith such an onslaught of electronic music on our radios and the rise in popularity of DJs and producers, it can sometimes be easy to forget that there are still people making music the good old-fashioned way. In the case of Amy Findlay, lead singer of all-sister classic rock band Stonefield, she’s paying her dues to the old school as a performer at Whole Lotta Love, the Led Zeppelin tribute concert in Sydney and Gosford this month. As one of two female vocalists on the bill, Findlay is raring to go.

“Robert Plant has a really feminine kind of voice, so that makes it easy for me,” she says. “But I think it adds that little touch of feminine sound [to the show].”

This year’s celebration accompanies the 2014 reissue of all nine of Led Zeppelin’s studio albums, completely remastered by guitarist Jimmy Page.

Whole Lotta Love is in its 11th year, and will also see the likes of vocalists Jack Jones (Southern Sons), Jimmy Cupples (The Voice), Simon Meli and blues artist Zkye demonstrate their take on the Zeppelin legacy, accompanied by a powerful nine-piece band.

Those who have experienced Findlay’s live presence will know that she’s no dainty wallflower when it comes to producing a grungy rock sound – something essential for covering a band as iconic in hard rock as Zeppelin.

“It’s been fun – we haven’t done a support tour in a really long time, and it’s nice to be playing that little bit earlier and also have the challenge of winning over an audience that might not know who you are.”

When it comes to Whole Lotta Love, Led Zeppelin fans can expect just that – a whole lot of love for the best songs from the masters of rock. Because Findlay understands that when paying tribute to one of the greatest bands of all time, there’s no sense messing with perfection.

“I try to do it as similar as I can to the original.

But yeah, it is a lot of pressure, and it’s very scary, and I know that there’s going to be a lot of hardcore fans there, so hopefully I’ll do it justice.”

What: Whole Lotta Love With: Jack Jones, Simon Meli, Jimmy Cupples, Zkye Where: State Theatre When: Saturday August 23 And: Also appearing at the Laycock Street Theatre, Gosford on Friday August 15 and Saturday August 16

“I think the nicest thing about my voice is that I love to wail, and all my Zeppelin songs [in the concert] are a lot of the time about wailing, so I’m looking forward to that side of it. But all the musicians that are in the band and the other singers seem really talented, so I think it’s going to be a really good show.”

Findlay has a particularly special connection with the concert, given her musical upbringing along with her sisters on a steady diet of the old-school greats like Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix, and of course, Led Zeppelin. Stonefield started out by playing covers from this era, and as their original music has evolved it’s remained inspired by the greats. Findlay has been with her sisters on this journey every step of the way, and Whole Lotta Love will be one of the first times she won’t be playing beside them.

“At the moment rock is kind of dead, unfortunately. There are so many great rock bands but it’s just not the thing at the moment … but it’s not going to be long.”

“I dunno, it’s going to be really different. I haven’t really performed without them that many times in proper, professional kind of settings. So I definitely get a lot more nervous than I usually do, but it’s good – it definitely brings a different side of me out, playing with other people.”

Not only will the Whole Lotta Love concert present an opportunity for diehard Zeppelin fans to show their appreciation, it will also shine a light on their iconic era of music. Though Stonefield have been playing their version of classic rock since 2006, Findlay has certainly noticed that these days the genre does not receive the attention it deserves.

“I think pretty much at the moment rock is kind of dead, unfortunately. There are so many great rock bands but it’s just not the thing at the moment. So I think for ourselves and a few other bands we’re doing well, considering – we can still play shows and have a whole lot of people come, which is great, at the time when it’s just not the popular genre.”

However dire the scene may seem at the moment for Findlay and her fellow rockers, she still maintains hope that a rock’n’roll revival is around the corner.

“There’ll always be people who like rock – it’s just such a timeless kind of genre. I think no matter what you’ll always have a small audience [for now], but it’s not going to be long before there’s that turnaround that you notice in fashion. Like in fashion at the moment, we’re sort of slowly moving things back towards a kind of rock thing.”

Of course, there are still fans out there keeping the flame of rock burning. While touring with Stonefield in support of Dan Sultan, Findlay has been pleasantly surprised to experience a warmer, more attentive vibe from the audience. thebrag.com

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Blues Pills The Best Medicine By Shane Pinnegar

Ash Grunwald Crossing Over By Rhys McRae

F

or ten years, Ash Grunwald has been playing the funky monk, roaming from swamp to swamp and bashing out his blues-and-roots-inspired, foot-stomping tunes.

His collaboration last year with Scott Owen and Andy Strachan of The Living End resulted in the album Gargantua, mostly featuring turbocharged versions of Grunwald classics. However, looking back at his other musical relationships it’s easy to see rock isn’t his only staple, with a resume including works with hip hop artists like TZU, The Funkoars and Urthboy, among others.

Having just finished up a month-long tour of the US with good mate Xavier Rudd, Grunwald is taking a drinks break in California before heading to Canada for another big round of shows.

According to him, hip hop always seemed to be a natural ally to his pumping blues music, not just musically but in attitude as well.

“To me it makes so much sense,” Grunwald says.

“I love hip hop grooves and they work so well with my music, it’s just a no-brainer. There’s also a similarity that people may or may not realise between a solo bluesy pub musician smashing it out and just going for it, and Aussie hip hop. You take the stage, you smash it and you go for it and everybody parties. That’s really important.

“It’s that attitude that’s the same. The thing I love about it too is blues comes from America and hip hop comes from America but the way we do it, it’s like the pub mongrel, so it’s an Australian approach to it to just smash it.”

Anyone who’s been to the good ol’ US of A and seen the lifestyle of that vast continent can weave a tome about the cultural differences found there.

Fireworks and booze in 7-Elevens would receive their respective chapters, but Grunwald has also noticed our differing approaches in how we view success in the music industry.

“We have that working class thing of, ‘I have a working class background and I did this myself and I’m proud of it,’” Grunwald says. “That’s

another crossover I have with that Funkoars and [Hilltop] Hoods crew, is that we’re all of a similar time and made it all ourselves. That’s the thing that keeps you grounded – if you know how hard you’ve had to work to get it and you’re not pretending you didn’t work hard to get it.

“In America the scene is so big for those hip hop guys. Maybe they were a young guy with a lot of talent and they got signed by another rapper or a record company. Then you’re a star and it’s about being treated as if you’re a star or in some way different. Even though you’re boasting you’re from the streets but you’re also saying, ‘Now I’ve got this car and my dick is this long.’”

Starting in mid-August, Grunwald will be back in Australia hitting up venues across the country including many outside the normal capital city route. His tone shifts when he starts to reflect on the past month’s touring and his signing to the massive US-based booking agent The Agency Group, whose roster includes Bad Brains, The Pogues and Lauryn Hill. It’s a tone of aspiration and you can almost feel the heat of the fire burning in Grunwald’s gut when he talks of his vision for the next album.

“Watching Xavier smash it every night and the crowds going wild, it just gives the feeling that this could be taken to the next level,” Grunwald says.

“It could be something really big and special that keeps going on. I want to carry that feeling into the new songs and with this next album I want to make it the best I possibly can.”

Where: Mona Vale Hotel / Collector Hotel, Parramatta When: Thursday September 18 / Friday September 19 And: Also appearing at The Entrance Leagues Club on Saturday September 20; The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle on Thursday October 2; and Carmens, Miranda on Friday October 3

M

ultinational psychedelic blues rockers Blues Pills came together when American bassist Zack Anderson and drummer Cory Berry started jamming with Swedish vocalist Elin Larsson during her six months living in the US. Upon Larsson’s return home, the pair duly followed and a band was born, sans guitarist. Luckily, Anderson remembered a young guitar prodigy he had seen in France.

“When I was on tour in Europe one time, I just saw Dorian [Sorriaux] playing in this little bar in France when he was just 15 years old, and he basically blew away everyone that was watching that day,” the bassist recalls.

“I remembered him after that and then once I moved to Sweden and we started Blues Pills, I just asked him if he wanted to come to Sweden and try playing with us. He came and we just connected right away and it just worked instantly.”

Blues Pills’ analogue sound is unashamedly old-school – it harks back to the days of Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac and Big Brother & The Holding Company. While the riffs are heavy and the solos fiery, Larsson’s soulful vocals soften the punch with an edge of Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin. It’s an intoxicating mix that references without copying, and sounds very now. It’s forward-thinking retro, if you will.

“There’s no question that classic rock and soul’s obviously influenced our music a lot,” Anderson concurs. “At the same time, like you said, we really aren’t trying to copy anything.

It’s just that we like a lot of that kind of music and then it ends up being what we write, because we write music that we would want to listen to ourselves.

“It wasn’t like we just sat down and decided we wanted to sound like we were a band from the ’60s. It was more just a blend of the music that we were listening to, which is soul and blues and rock, all from that era.”

With analogue recording comes a warm, vibrant sound, and with Blues Pills’ classic soul influences comes an abundance of emotion to match the power of the music. It’s intriguing, therefore, to see so many metal festivals on the band’s European touring schedule.

“Really, none of us listen to any metal, I guess, other than maybe the really early stuff like the first Black Sabbath LP – but that’s more almost blues rock or something,” Anderson chuckles.

“Yeah, it’s kind of strange that the metal scene has embraced us so much. I don’t really know why, but it’s really just gone well and they really enjoyed it and we get a good response every time.”

As for the band name, Anderson is happy to explain its origins. “We got the name Blues Pills from a German music blog that I used to download a lot of ’60s and ’70s music from – just rare records and things they would post and you could download the music. That was a way that I discovered lots of obscure, unknown bands and things from the ’60s … Basically we just liked the name and it kind of means for us, like medicine for the blues, or it also can hint towards psychedelic blues or something.”

An amazingly trippy piece of psychedelic cover art painted by artist Marijke Koger-Dunham completes the ’60s feel of Blues Pills’ self-titled debut record.

“She’s from the Netherlands, but now she’s living in LA I think,” Anderson says. “She was kind of known in the ’60s for painting for The Beatles and she painted Eric Clapton and Cream’s instruments on tour. I just had the idea to see if this artist was still around, and she sent me a handful of different paintings that she did in the ’60s.

“It can’t really get much better – if you’re looking for a ’60s-inspired artwork, you might as well have something that’s actually from the ’60s.”

What: Blues Pills out now through Nuclear Blast

John Murry Fighting Fires By Meg Crawford

A

lot of the press would have you believe that John Murry is a miserable bastard, but it’s just not true. Absolutely, he’s a pragmatist and he’s not about to pull any punches, but he’s no dark prince either. In fact, the Mississippi man is as funny as hell and has a ready laugh.

“Look, it’s good print, but [Springsteen’s] Nebraska’s not on there – I mean, really?” he says. “I’d take me off and put that on there. It’s all so subjective, isn’t it? There’s really no magic in creating songs, but there’s a whole lot of bleeding, bloodletting that goes on. It takes a lot of emotional energy to create anything of value.

Anyway, I don’t give a fuck what most critics think. Most of them are just failed songwriters anyway. Not in Australia, though…”

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“Well, you are,” he laughs. “Australia’s a weird and amazing place in all of the good ways and the bad ones. Australians are very generous people, but there’s a real division in Australia and a lot goes unspoken. For instance, racism is very real there, but Australia’s just so huge that you don’t see it all the time. There’s also something kind of Southern about your hospitality, but in the South they’re guarded and it’s kind of manipulative, whereas in Australia, you really do get a chance.”

There’s at least one thing he really wants to do now he’s back. “I never even saw the beach last time. Mark Stanley [the Aussie producer who worked on Murry’s Califorlornia EP] sucks. I was here for a whole month and I never even got close to a beach! I want to surf, but I’m real bad. I don’t want to embarrass myself. I don’t want to be like the pale, pasty guy falling off. Someone’s gonna

need to teach me – I grew up in Mississippi!”

The image of Murry’s grumpiness is undoubtedly fuelled by him saying things that make him seem a bit dark out of anger.

Now, it sounds like time has softened him a tad, and he offers some advice for us all. “I don’t feel angry now. I was angry for a while.

Now, I just feel indignant. I feel that if anyone is to engage by writing songs or creating rock’n’roll, there’s only one way and that’s the honest way. For a long time there I felt like the world was going to hell in a handbasket.

Maybe it still is, in which case maybe it’s my turn to run after it with the fire extinguisher.

Trying to explain that sounds kinda odd, but if the world is so screwed up, we all have responsibilities. At the very least, be nice to your next-door neighbour and get to know their names.”

What: Califorlornia out now through Warner Where: The Basement When: Wednesday August 20

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John Murry photo by Peter Eriksson

He eschews the title, but Murry is most often described as a folk rock singer-songwriter.

He’s wildly talented and reminiscent of Springsteen at his best. Murry’s songs are made of powerfully moving stuff, so personal that at times it hurts to listen to them. It’s no surprise, then, that at the moment he’s listed as one of the world’s finest – Uncut naming his 2013 debut record The Graceless Age one of the 50 best singer-songwriter albums of all time. Murry himself is understated about the honour.

He’s not trying to dig himself out of a hole there, either. Murry has spent a lot of time in Australia – among other things, he’s recorded here and plans to do so again this month.

He’s a keen observer of what goes on and he’s developed a real affection for us, even though he’s previously called Australians an “interesting and strange breed”.

DevilDriver The Winter Of Our Discontent By David James Young

T

he ‘record album, release album, tour album’ cycle is more than just a series of motions for DevilDriver – since 2003, it’s been their way of life. Without fail, the band has released an album every two years, up to and including 2013 effort Winter Kills. The Californians have a devotion that has been unshakeable to date, so it may come as a shock that 2014 could be the last time you see DevilDriver… for a little while, at least.

“I think what’s happening within the camp is that [we say], ‘If the music’s there, let’s do it,’” says Dez Fafara, the band’s lead vocalist and primary lyricist. “‘If it’s not, let’s not.’ We can only guess or surmise as we’re writing where we’re at in the process. All I can say is that the cycle is ending here – there is not going to be another album two years after Winter Kills. We’re laying low all of next year and probably 2016 as well. The next DevilDriver record could come out in 2016. It could come out later. Even still, we’re writing. I’m writing every day, and I know the other guys are, too. There are about four or five killer tunes in the mix there. So we’ll see what happens, but don’t expect anything for a while.”

It’s suggested that if any band deserves a break from the wear and tear of touring, it’s DevilDriver.

This is a sentiment that Fafara himself is all too quick to agree with. “I’ll tell you what, we’ve been on the road for 12 years,” he says, the weight of those words not lost on him and the husk in his tone confirming that he’s not bullshitting. “In those 12 years, we’ve put out six records; all of them different, and all of them received really well. We tour harder than any other band on the planet. We just did a twomonth tour of the States with only three days off – and those were driving days. That said, we’re coming toward the end of the road. We need to get back to basics, hang out with our families… we need to chill out for a minute.”

other band that is extremely rare and personally important to him.

“The tour we just did with Whitechapel was just exceptional,” he says. “Our fans and their fans get along really well, even though the two bands are so stylistically different. Our crews get along like pirates, too. I remember the first time we met in Europe – we were at a festival called Bloodstock. I was getting off the bus, and their bass player and their drummer came up to me and were all like, ‘Dez! What’s going on?’ And that’s all it took. Maybe once every few years do I meet a musician on the road that I really want to hang out with, and I managed to find two in Ben [Savage] and Gabe [Crisp], especially. It’s cool when you find that. So we’ve decided to bring them down to Australia with us, and I hope you guys like ’em as much as we do.”

What: Winter Kills out now through Napalm Records With: Whitechapel Where: The Hi-Fi When: Saturday September 6

‘Comic Genius’ Tim Fe

rguson.

“We tour harder than any other band on the planet. We just did a two-month tour of the States with only three days off – and those were driving days.

That said, we’re coming toward the end of the road.”

Of course, this isn’t to say that DevilDriver are unhappy with where they are. Far from it – Fafara himself is extremely proud of Winter Kills, which scored Top 40 chart positions in Austria, Germany, Finland and the band’s native US upon its August 2013 release. He also feels the album has developed a life of its own as it’s been presented to audiences around the world. “We wrote this record to be performed live,” he says. “Someday, I’d love to do a show where we play the entire thing from start to finish. It’s meant to be a live record.

We’ve been playing a lot of the record in our recent shows, and every time we switch one [song] out for another or add in a new one, they really feel as though they take on a life of their own.”

2013 also saw Fafara back on the road with his original band, Coal Chamber, who reformed in 2011. Although he is adamant about not looking to the past and doing things for the sake of retrospect or nostalgia, many questioned his motives in reviving a group whose heyday had long gone and were seemingly ripe for a nostalgic market. “In a lot of ways, it was about looking forward for me,” says Fafara. “We’d all mended our ways, and Meegs [Rascon, guitar] had hit me up with some new Coal Chamber songs. It made sense for me – for us – to go out on tour. We took it around the world, and it was so well received.

Here in the States, we were playing to thousands of people a night. It was incredible.

“It’s funny, because this question came up with my wife. She asked me, ‘Honestly, when was the last time you even listened to a Coal Chamber song?’ I couldn’t even tell you. It might be 15 years. I didn’t even have to listen to the record when we started rehearsing – I mean, I know the songs, I wrote them. So it’s all about forging forward.”

September will see DevilDriver return to Australia for a series of headlining shows alongside deathcore giants Whitechapel.

Although it’s been seen as somewhat of an odd pairing, Fafara has developed a bond with the thebrag.com

The critically acclaimed stand-up comedy album is now available from iTunes, www.ruffhousecomedy.com and www.mattybcomic.com BRAG :: 574 :: 06:08:14 :: 15

SECRET SOUNDS PRESENTS

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

FRI 08 AUG METRO THEATRE TICKETS ON SALE NOW ticketek.com.au

SECRET-SOUNDS.COM.AU SPIDERBAIT.COM.AU

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NEW SINGLE MISS THE BOAT OUT NOW!

BRAG’s guide to film, theatre, comedy and art about town

arts in focus

inside:

tommy little these final hours

tubular bells for two do the duo

xxx

also: arts news + giveaway + reviews

thebrag.com

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arts frontline

free stuff

arts news...what's goin' on around town...with Chris Martin and Amie Mulhearn

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

five minutes WITH

Kindergarten Teacher

LISA CHAPPELL, WRITER/ACTOR IN BAD DAY INSURANCE

T

alk us through the concept of Bad Day Insurance.

Bad Day Insurance is a sci-fi comedy about an insurance company set in the not-sodistant future, which gives payouts for when you have a bad day. Wouldn’t that be great?!

I really hope this catches on in life. We follow the lives of two old women, Ethel and Mavis, who work there and uncover their secrets and lies in their personal lives as the play unfolds.

Without dragging up bad memories, was it inspired by a particularly bad day of your own?

My friend Mary and I were having a bad day last year – I think the official term for it is ‘clusterfuck’ – and after missing the opening of a show due to bad weather, train lines changing and no taxis appearing, she looked at me and said, “Wouldn’t it be great if there was an insurance company for bad days?”

looking for new inspirations and ways of working?

I never quite know when the muse is going to hit, or why, but I literally just follow it.

Inspiration can come from anywhere – a comment you hear on the street, a story someone tells you, a documentary you watch, or in Fred’s case, my one-woman show, just starting to type and then just trying to keep up. I just follow my nose, really.

You won two Logie Awards for your acting on McLeod’s Daughters – how did you go from acting to writing plays?

I’ve always written. When I was in my 20s, between tele jobs I would write and produce shows; they were always a bit bonkers and lots of fun to do so it’s really great to be doing that again. I’ve also been writing screenplays, tele pilots and my album When Then Is Now. Mum always thought I’d be a writer, so I think she’s secretly pleased I’m doing writing so much now just so her motherly instinct wasn’t off.

What’s more rewarding, acting or writing?

Both – I write to act. I’m not a writer for hire, yet, although I’d like to try it. Each has its different challenges and rewards. I love the social element of acting and I love the privacy of writing. But if I write for too long without acting my show pony gets very frustrated and wants to have a trot around. I’ll always be an actor first. That being said, I’ll never stop writing. Cue sounds of Queen’s ‘I Want It All’.

Your plays seem to vary in manner and theme, after your one-woman show Fred and cabaret On/Off. Are you always

What: Bad Day Insurance Where: Old 505 Theatre When: Wednesday August 6 – Sunday August 24

AICE ISRAELI FILM FESTIVAL

This month, the AICE Israeli Film Festival returns for its 11th year. Of course, the nation of Israel is in the news at the moment in much more horrid circumstances, but this Australia Israel Cultural Exchange (AICE) festival cuts a cross section through a complex and often turbulent culture and country. On the schedule is Camera d’Or winner at Cannes, Self Made, which opens the festival, plus Kidon, Album 61, Sweets, The Kindergarten Teacher and more. It’ll give a perspective on the people and politics of Israel that you’re unlikely to get on the evening news. The festival runs at Palace Cinemas from Thursday August 21 – Thursday September 4, and we’ve got 15 double passes that can be used for any feature (excluding special events). For your chance to win one, head to thebrag.com/ freeshit and tell us your pick of films on the program. See aiceisraelifilmfestival.com for details. xxx

Children Of The Sun

CHILDREN OF THE SUN

The Pool by Brett Hemmings at Vivid Sydney 2014

Sydney Theatre Company, with the help of artistic director Andrew Upton and co-resident director Kip Williams, will breathe some new light into Maxim Gorky’s 1905 play Children Of The Sun. Written while Gorky was serving jail time in Saint Petersburg for “anti-government activity”, Children Of The Sun follows chemist and middleclass father Protasov as he alienates those around him in pursuit of his research. This is the latest in a series of productions by Upton that follow the theatre and history of Russia in the early 20th century. Featuring a plethora of talent including Justine Clarke, Jacqueline McKenzie, Chris Ryan, Toby Truslove and Helen Thomson, Children Of The Sun will play from Monday September 8 – Saturday October 25 at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House.

THE SKEPTICAL IMAGE

The University of Sydney is presenting The Skeptical Image, a group exhibition exploring how image today resonates with artists. The exhibit is part of a wider international interdisciplinary conference held

by the University of Sydney called The Image In Question. It features new works by 11 prominent Australian contemporary artists across a variety of media. The Skeptical Image runs until Saturday August 20 at the Sydney College of the Arts.

Cloud Arch by Junya Ishigami

VIVID WANTS YOUR IDEAS

The beloved Vivid Sydney festival is inviting ideas for its 2015 light program.

Professionals from the creative and lighting industries are asked to submit expressions of interest to cover four categories at next year’s festival: Projection Icons (including Customs House and the MCA), Illuminati Buildings, Heritage Facades, and Lighting Sculptures and Installations. It’s your chance to shine. Head to vividsydney.com to fill out the EOI form.

Applications close Friday October 3. Vivid Sydney 2015 will run from May 22 – June 8.

NATIONAL YOUNG WRITERS’ FESTIVAL LAUNCH The 17th annual National Young Writers’ Festival, to be held in Newcastle from Thursday October 2 – Sunday October 5, will launch its program in Sydney this month at a special event. Zimbabwean author NoViolet Bulawayo and writer Zoya Patel will feature in conversation at Alaska Projects on an evening which also marks the festival program launch.

Festival artist and The Checkout presenter Ben Jenkins will introduce the program, with over 80 artists set to attend the four-day Newcastle event. For the In Conversation event and launch, head to Alaska Projects on Tuesday August 26.

LATIN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL

SYDNEY’S NEW LANDMARKS

A 50-metre-tall steel arch will be installed on George Street outside Sydney Town Hall as part of the City of Sydney’s new public art project. Cloud Arch, designed by Tokyo’s Junya Ishigami, will ensure the Sydney CBD will never look the same again. It will act as a gateway to the new pedestrianised and light rail sector of George Street. Cloud Arch is one of three new artworks announced by Lord Mayor Clover Moore, alongside a 13.7-metre-high oversized milk crate in Belmore Park near Central Station and bronze bird sculptures near the Kent Street underpass on Bridge and Grosvenor Streets. They’re the first announcements as part of Sydney’s $9.3 million public art plan, and are due to be installed in 2017.

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Fiesta? Siesta? Whatever your flavour, the ninth annual Sydney Latin American Film Festival has you covered. The eight-day event will screen a selection of films from Cuba, Costa Rica, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Peru, the USA, Uruguay, Venezuela and Australia. They include opening night selection Behaviour, a portrait of contemporary Cuba that has caused controversy overseas for its look into the reality of the nation and its society. Other highlights include A Wolf At The Door, Stones In The Sun, All About The Feathers, Songs Of Redemption and more. The festival runs from Wednesday September 3 – Wednesday September 10 at Event Cinemas, George Street and the University of Sydney.

SYDNEY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL

The champions of alternative film responsible for the Sydney Underground Film Festival have launched their 2014 program. The festival focuses on independent and experimental films, with this year’s titles including opening night feature Housebound, Mr. X, Super Duper Alice Cooper, The Green Inferno and much more. The Sydney Underground Film Festival is held across four screens at the Factory Theatre from Thursday September 4 – Sunday September 7.

thebrag.com

These Final Hours

Tommy Little [COMEDY] The View From The Middle By Joanne Brookfield

T

ommy Little is as upbeat and charming in conversation as his stage persona. The comedian has a reputation for being the life of the party, but now he’s hosting breakfast radio on Melbourne’s Nova, so he’s cut back on the partying. “If I don’t have to be up for anything, I will drink until I’ve defecated in my pants, but unfortunately that’s pretty rare – or fortunately, for those around me. I think I’m charming when I’m drunk. There’s a lot of evidence out there to say the otherwise,” he laughs.

These Final Hours

Little’s rise to mainstream prominence – and ubiquitous billboards in his home city – is remarkable for the speed at which it has all happened for him. It’s a point he acknowledges in his latest show, Middleclass Gangster. This time last year, he says, he was barely able to pay rent.

“I’ve done three TV shows and had a fulltime breakfast radio gig; I’ve done what

could be considered someone’s whole career in the space of a year,” he says.

“Sure, it could all end tomorrow, but yeah, literally just before [Melbourne] Comedy Festival last year I was living in a derelict place and I was living week-to-week and it happened really quickly.

“I keep kidding myself that I’m coping with the hours of breakfast radio fi ne but I’m crying a lot more than I used to,” he jokes. But Little is enjoying the ride. He uses words like ‘great’ and ‘fun’ frequently and there’s no doubt he’s “loving the job”.

His Nova co-host, fellow stand-up Meshel Laurie, plays a big part in that enjoyment.

“I love doing it,” he says. “It’s the best job I’ve had and I have the joy of working with the gorgeous Meshel Laurie and she makes life pretty easy. If you’re gonna wake up at this stupid time of day you want to do it with someone you like, and she just makes me laugh every morning.”

[FILM] The Ticking Clock By Travis Johnson

At the other end of the day, his live show sold well throughout its Melbourne season, and he’s bringing it to Sydney this month. In Middleclass Gangster, Little talks about acting alongside Claudia Karvan on ABC’s The Time Of Our Lives, but although he trained as an actor it’s stand-up that’s now his passion. It’s also paying him enough to splurge on one particular treat he discusses in his routine as well. He’s still coming to terms with living in the “middleclass” of his show’s title, meaning the novelty of being able to pay rent hasn’t worn off yet.

Tommy Little

T

he new Australian drama These Final Hours promises the ultimate downer ending – the extinction of all life on Earth. But it’s what happens before then that is important, explains writer and director Zak Hilditch. Given the incredible amount of noise around These Final Hours, a lot of people are going to be hearing Hilditch’s name for the first time. But the hotly anticipated apocalyptic thriller is not his first feature film; it is, in fact, his fifth.

“I did three what I would call backyard features, which were a lot of fun,” he says. “Getting together a team of like-minded friends from Curtin University, where I studied. After uni, you know how it is; we were like, ‘What the hell are we going to do now?’ You just get as many of those passionate people together who all want to keep making films. You don’t really know what you’re doing, but you just want to keep making stuff. So we ended up making three of those over a sevenyear time span while I was also having a crack at shorts – some funded, some unfunded – and just developing the shit out of a lot of projects. And a lot of them would fall over but this one sort of withstood the fire and brimstone of development.”

Hilditch was also adamant that the film be set in his hometown, Perth. “Being born and bred here I always wanted to set the film here. I didn’t want to set it in Nowheresville or Everytown. I wanted to set it specifically in Perth and to show Perth in a way that people who live here have probably never seen their city before, especially on the big screen. This isn’t New York, this isn’t LA – this is Perth that this is happening to. I think that was incredibly interesting.”

He also dismisses the possibility that These Final Hours is another entry in the seemingly endless cycle of downbeat, self-serious Australian films (see The Rover, Mystery Road, Somersault, Snowtown, et cetera). “At the end of the day, this film could seem like the bleakest film a human being could make – it’s about everyone dying.

But at the same time, James’ journey with Rose and doing the right thing and realising that it’s never too late to find redemption, even in the face of the apocalypse… to make a film about the apocalypse you have to go to some pretty dark places, but that, to me, is balanced out by their journey through the film because he does manage to right his wrongs – all with the ultimate ticking clock.”

“It’s honestly a level of comfort I didn’t think I’d have and it’s so nice.

People say money can’t buy you happiness. That is bullshit. Money can rent you a nice house that has heating and that makes me happy.”

What: Middleclass Gangster Where: The Comedy Store When: Saturday August 23

What: These Final Hours (dir. Zak Hilditch) When: In cinemas now

xxx

Perhaps that’s because it deals with some pretty bedrock themes that all of us have pondered at one time or another. These Final Hours follows James (Nathan Phillips) as he resolves to reunite a young girl, Rose (Angourie Rice) with her father on the day the world is scheduled to end. Hilditch says film was inspired by, “My own mortality and our own mortality – the sort of thing that keeps a lot of people up at night. I am very fixated on it and there’s definitely something in there about, ‘What would you do if you knew you were gonna die?’ At the same time there was this idea about these natural disasters that just sort of take people by surprise and then

they’re gone – they didn’t have time to prepare and they didn’t see it coming. Well, what if you spun that on its head and you could see it coming but you still couldn’t stop it? It gives you time to prepare and it really breaks things down to the questions: What would you do? Where do you belong? Who do you really love? All those really primal questions. That’s where it all tied in together.”

Tubular Bells For Two [MUSIC] The Perfect Pair By Tegan Jones Parramatta. Roberts discusses the show and how it originated.

Tubular Bells For Two

“It really just happened by accident,” he explains. “We were sitting around and listening to records one night and had Tubular Bells on, which I hadn’t listened to since I was a teenager. I’d forgotten how intricate and interesting it was, and Danny and I just got entranced by it and started working out how to play little bits on the guitar.

M

usical heathens such as myself may only recognise Tubular Bells as the creepy-as-all-hell piece of music from The Exorcist. Experimental performers Aidan Roberts and Daniel Holdsworth have proven that

thebrag.com

there’s far more to it, and that Mike Oldfield’s classic album continues to be incredibly popular, even 31 years on from its initial release. The duo is bringing the hit Tubular Bells For Two show back to Sydney for one night only at the Riverside Theatre in

“We were thinking about it over the next few days and Danny asked, ‘Why don’t we just try and learn the whole thing on two guitars, just for fun?’ So we started transcribing it and before too long we had the crazy idea of trying to perform it and make it sound as much like the record as possible with just two guys. It just sort of developed from there and we went a bit nuts, got hold of loop pedals and all kinds of stuff and it turned into a show.”

After an initial sold-out gig in the Blue Mountains, the pair realised that the show could be something special.

“We knew that there were people who would be really excited about it,” he says. “But as we started selling out shows we thought, ‘This has a really broad appeal.’” The potential was proven when Roberts and Holdsworth started performing internationally. “We knew that we had to go to England and do a tour there because it’s where [the album] comes from. We ended up doing so many gigs and met some really cool people. It’s been a lot more than a fun recreation of Tubular Bells.

It’s also expanded our musical palate and it’s been such a nice experience.”

When asked if the success of the show has been based primarily on the nostalgia of the audience, Roberts says, “There is a heavy nostalgia element. A lot of people come to the show to relive their youth. But also, there’s people who have never heard it before and just think that it sounds interesting; they really enjoy it too.

“I think there’s a dual excitement with the crowd, they love revisiting it and they love seeing what we do

with it. They’re so curious about how two guys are going to do this onstage … [Tubular Bells] stands the test of time. You hear it now and it’s still a really interesting piece of work and doesn’t really have any dorky stuff in it.”

For those who are worried about how accurate Tubular Bells For Two is to the original, you needn’t fear. “It’s very true to it. That was always our goal. We wanted to take the listener on the same journey they go through while listening to the album. To do that we had to do so much rehearsal and pay really close attention to tiny little bits in the details of the music … There’s a few things that we’ve had to leave out, because we just don’t have enough hands, but we’ve found a way to arrange the music so it still gives the effect of what happens on the album.”

What: Tubular Bells For Two Where: Riverside Theatre, Parramatta When: Friday August 15

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Film & Theatre Reviews Hits and misses on the silver screen and bareboards around town

Steve Le Marquand and Peta Brady in Ugly Mugs ■ Theatre

■ Film

UGLY MUGS

THE MEND

Playing at SBW Stables Theatre until Saturday August 23

Showing at Possible Worlds Film Festival on Thursday August 14

Ugly Mugs – based on the name sex workers use for aggressive clients – focuses on the disturbing and at times dangerous reality of life in the Australian sex industry.

The Mend is the debut feature from New York writer/director John Magary, and unlike most debut features, the indulgences that mark it as a first-time effort are the things that make it so exciting to watch. Seemingly taking François Truffaut’s maxim of “every minute, four ideas” as words to die by, it’s a low-budget, small-scale film that nonetheless bursts at the seams with invention – you get the impression that every line of dialogue, camera movement, cut, music cue, surreal flourish and sight gag (et cetera) that Magary wanted to include in a film has been not only worked in, but that the script itself has been reverse-engineered to accommodate a notepad’s worth of jotted-down ideas.

Set in Melbourne, the play opens in a cold, steely morgue with the almost sympathetic coroner (Steve Le Marquand) conducting an autopsy on a murdered sex worker (Peta Brady). Playing the part of her own ghost, Brady’s dark-humoured recount of her character’s experiences as a sex worker, as well as the events leading up to her violent and untimely death, have a brutal and honest edge to them. At the same time, the coroner seems to resonate a distant sympathy, yet also a sense of having seen one too many murdered women in his time.

Meanwhile, another story between a socially awkward teenage boy (Harry Borland), a seemingly fearless yet sometimes irrational girl (Sara West) and a sex predator (Le Marquand) is also unravelling in a suburban park. As the plot unfolds, the end result once again points towards a violent and tragic outcome.

For what is ostensibly a naturalistic, sliceof-life study of the emotionally fraught relationship between two North Manhattan brothers (superbly played by Josh Lucas and Stephen Plunkett), this go-for-broke approach initially seems like an ill fit, but Magary has the confidence in his idiosyncrasies – which start from the very first shot of a silent-film-style iris-in on a man’s hand grasping a child’s arm – to make them add up to something. He also has a great ear for profane, scabrous dialogue; an early, tone-setting party sequence plays like a perfectly cringeworthy appropriation of Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? via Noah Baumbach, while the film’s soundtrack of everything from post-punk to Brazilian psych rock to jazz and classical music further accentuates the prickly, unpredictable energy that Magary expertly cultivates.

Although the play’s storyline is a little disjointed, it is still definitely worth the investment. Brady’s powerful performance and Borland’s dynamic stage presence are both haunting and captivating. Yet it is the grim reality of the subject matter and the fact Ugly Mugs puts a face to what we read as just another statistic that make it a must-see.

Ultimately, the insights imparted about inherited emotional flaws are less interesting than that energy, but fortunately, Magary puts the emphasis firmly on the latter, and steers the story clear from entering male-weepie territory. It’s a film that articulates the ineffability of family bonds, reinvigorating potentially familiar character dynamics through a fresh cinematic voice, finally standing out as one of the strongest American independent films of recent years.

Prudence Clark

Ian Barr

Scarlett Johansson in Lucy ■ Film

LUCY In cinemas now Luc Besson’s Lucy is the ideal film to proceed from the false premise that humans only use ten per cent of their brain, which is to say, a cheerfully and gloriously insane one.

A film in which plotting is accentuated by metaphoric cutaways to National Geographic stock footage. In which a montage of the history of human knowledge ends with a dude solving a Rubik’s Cube.

In which unlocked cerebral capacity allows one to use two laptops at once. In which the line “no-one every really dies” is uttered in dead earnest. And that’s just the first hour; by the end, the film goes so far off the rails that it turns into a weird amalgam of The Tree Of Life, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Flight Of The Navigator.

Before all that, we meet Lucy (Scarlett Johansson), an American exchange student in Taipei, mixed up in shady dealings with shady people. Forced to smuggle a new experimental drug in her abdominal cavity, the chemicals end up leaking into her body, allowing her increased access to the furthest reaches of the human mind – and allowing Besson (whose gonzo filmmaking tendencies have been largely absent since 1997’s The Fifth Element) to indulge in increasingly zany flights of stylistic fancy. Morgan Freeman also appears, spouting pseudoscientific nuggets in that delectable intonation that glosses over any research gaps on Besson’s part.

Running just over 80 minutes (please let this be the start of a trend for studio films),

Besson finds the perfect pace and shape for a narrative in which the life-or-death stakes of action films are increasingly pushed aside in favour of dopey (but stimulating) philosophical ruminations.

It’s also beautifully anchored

by Johansson, who handles her transition from blubbering mess to high-functioning autism to dazed superhuman with aplomb – between this and similarly incorporeal recent roles in Her and Under The Skin emerges a fascinating case of actor-asauteur. “It’s a little rudimentary, but you’re on the right track,” she tells Freeman of his research as her brainpower escalates – also reviewing Lucy in relation to the conveyor-belt-ready Hollywood product it distinguishes itself from.

Ian Barr Xxxx

Through the rather bleak stories and characters, who all just want to be loved and remembered in some way, Ugly Mugs asks questions about the vulnerability of women and the aggression and violence that sometimes faces them – not only within the sex industry, but in society in general.

Ugly Mugs photo by Brett Boardman

The Mend

See www.thebrag.com for more arts reviews

Arts Exposed What's in our diary...

The Composer Is Dead Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Saturday August 9 Comedian Frank Woodley and the Sydney Youth Orchestra collaborate this week in The Composer Is Dead, an ‘orchestral whodunit’ suitable for kids and big kids. It comes from the pen of Lemony Snicket, the popular children’s author known for his Series Of Unfortunate Events. This time, beloved comedian Woodley will interrogate every member of the orchestra to find out who’s responsible for a musical murder.

Frank Woodley

Tickets start at $27; head to sydneyoperahouse. com.

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thebrag.com

EDUCATION SPECIAL

Are you sick of staring at the office wall, Snapchatting another cup of coffee when the boss isn’t looking? Is it time for a change in career? New intakes and open days are coming up around Sydney for specialist education providers. We got the lowdown from a few of them on how they’ll help you ‘get smart’ – because you don’t want to be looking back in a few years’ time thinking, “Missed it by that much...”

Beginning as the Sydney Guitar School in 1968, AIM now offers the most diverse range of music diplomas, music degrees and graduate music studies available anywhere in Australia. AIM also offers acting and theatremaking through dramatic arts, AIM High senior secondary HSC studies, individual music lessons and short courses.

AIM also opened its first ever Melbourne campus in 2014 with purpose-built facilities, designed with the ultimate creative space in mind for music and performing arts education. AIM Melbourne is centrally located in the CBD, one block from Southern Cross Station and close to trams and Flinders Street Station. The campus features music production studios, ensemble rehearsal rooms, individual private lesson studios and a brand new, world-class performance venue.

MEDIA

Tell us about your school: AIM delivers cutting-edge education for a diverse career in the Australian music, entertainment and performing arts industries. With a reputation as a leading independent education provider, AIM’s music and performing arts courses in Sydney and AIM Melbourne deliver accredited music tuition and unique industry-relevant programs.

MUSIC

THE AUSTR ALIAN INSTITUTE OF MUSIC

music, entertainment and performing arts teachers. In addition, AIM has a full-time student services support team, marketing/ admissions team, web team, digital marketing team & purposed music library.

Get Smart: what do I learn?

AIM students can individually tailor their studies to integrate performance skills, business management, marketing, individual instrument or voice lessons, audio and sound engineering, music production and many more specialised units. Some students also undertake industry placements as part of their course.

Sell it to us: With professional facilities, performance spaces, industry standard music production studios, and industry staff on hand, students can develop the confidence and skills needed to pursue a successful lifelong career in the music industry, performing arts and wider entertainment fields.

Each undergraduate and graduate music course at AIM has its own head of department, staffed with professional

WHERE: 1-55 FOVEAUX ST, SURRY HILLS NEXT INTAKE: MONDAY SEPTEMBER 8 OPEN DAY: SATURDAY AUGUST 16, 10AM–3PM PHONE: 02 9219 5444 EMAIL: ENQUIRIES@AIM.EDU.AU WEBSITE: AIM.EDU.AU

SAE CRE ATIVE MEDIA INSTITUTE SYDNE Y Tell us about your school: SAE Creative Media Institute Sydney, located in the heart of the city, has been custom-built to suit the needs of the students. The campus boasts a large and diverse student community and a staff of dedicated, knowledgeable professionals committed to best-practice teaching and learning.

Offering government accredited degrees, diplomas and certificates in audio, film, animation, gaming, design and web and mobile, SAE courses are designed to give students the best advantage in their creative career with hands-on learning, experience in industry through internships, interdisciplinary collaborative projects and practice-based course delivery.

Get Smart: what do I learn?

The campus is fitted with state-of-the-art equipment including ten audio studios including Neve and SSLK and six live recording spaces; multiple editing, mixing and mastering suites; more than 30 learning spaces throughout; fully equipped computer labs; green screens and cutting-edge equipment; and Oculus Rift virtual reality and 3D gaming.

SAE is also proud to have staff and lecturers who are professionals in their chosen industry. SAE offers one-on-one attention and collaborative learning opportunities; industry standard, state-of-the-art equipment and facilities; specialist master

classes; links with Studios 301 (Australia’s premier recording facility); an active and welcoming Student Representative Council; and strong ties to IGDA, the peak games development body.

SAE internships are a major initiative embedded across all degree disciplines that provides students with valuable industry experience. Developed with industry partners, SAE internships make students work-ready to enter into a career with relevant skills and industry connections. The students graduate from SAE with a wide range of skills in order to get the job and have the competitive edge they need for the creative industry.

Sell it to us: SAE Creative Media Institute – part of education group Navitas – is the world’s leading educator in creative media industries and has been setting this benchmark since 1976. SAE now spans across 53 campuses in 27 countries.

WHERE: LEVEL 1, 11 YORK ST, SYDNEY NEXT INTAKE: SEPTEMBER 2014 OPEN DAY: SATURDAY AUGUST 23, 11AM–3PM PHONE: 02 8241 5300 EMAIL: SYDNEY@SAE.EDU WEBSITE: SAE.EDU.AU

APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN MASTER OF FINE ARTS Directing Writing for Performance BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS Acting Costume Design for Performance Properties and Objects Staging Technical Theatre and Stage Management DIPLOMA OF MUSICAL THEATRE

TO APPLY VISIT WWW.NIDA.EDU.AU BRAG :: 574 :: 06:08:14 :: 21

get smart

Tell us about your school: AFTRS – Australia’s national screen arts and broadcast school – is introducing a bold new undergraduate Bachelor of Arts (Screen) degree in 2015.

EDUCATION SPECIAL

The new Bachelor of Screen Arts is all about preparing creative people to be nimble operators for a platform agnostic world and fuses both deep scholarly engagement with the art of storytelling, the history of cinema as well a cross-disciplinary hybrid of subjects that span the full spectrum of screen production.

Get Smart: What do I learn?

The ways stories are told is ever-changing, as platforms and technologies evolve and adapt, but the desire to tell a story is innate to the human condition. Two core subjects, ‘Story’ and ‘The History of Film’ underpin the entire degree and are complemented by other subjects and electives, throughout the three-year program providing exciting opportunities to collaborate with other students and to be taught by some of

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Sell it to us: Voted in the top 20 film schools in the world by industry bible The Hollywood Reporter (in October 2012), AFTRS presents unrivalled opportunities for students to network and form lifelong professional relationships.

Entry is by merit selection. Applications for 2015 will open in September 2014.

WHERE: BUILDING 130, THE EQ, MOORE PARK PHONE: 1300 13 14 61 OR 02 9805 6611 EMAIL: STUDY@AFTRS.EDU.AU WEBSITE: AFTRS.EDU.AU/BAS

Tell us about your school: Bradfield College gives students the opportunity to capitalise on their natural talents and find their own path to the HSC. Students actively take control of the design of their HSC, which allows them to specialise in areas such as music, IT, fashion, hospitality and the performing arts.

Get Smart: what do I learn?

TAFE NSW courses can be integrated

VARIOUS COURSES

FILM

AF TRS

the best screen practitioners, in the best facilities in Australia. Intentionally designed to ‘future-proof’ graduates for a changing and dynamic world the Bachelor of Screen Arts combines critical thinking, creative engagement as students are immersed in the world of storytelling but not limited by technology, where adaptability, resilience and entrepreneurial skills will equip them for a lifelong creative career.

BR ADFIELD COLLEGE – THE NORTHERN SYDNE Y INSTITUTE

with the HSC in subjects such as design, entertainment, IT and music. The campus offers flexible timetables and extended school days to accommodate.

Offering HSC and TAFE courses in dance, film and radio production, music, theatre and more, Bradfield allows students to start their performing arts career early, with work placement and direct pathways to further study.

Sell it to us: Facilities at Bradfield include a 90-seat performance space, dance studio, music recording studio, five music rehearsal rooms, radio recording studio and edit suite, photographic studio and darkroom, design workshops, fully equipped arts studios, cinema room and student retreat.

WHERE: 192 PACIFIC HIGHWAY, CROWS NEST OPEN DAY: THURSDAY AUGUST 7, 4:30–7PM PHONE: 131 674 WEBSITE: BRADFIELD.TAFENSW. EDU.AU

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Album Reviews What's been crossing our ears this week...

ALBUM OF THE WEEK SPOON

They Want My Soul Loma Vista/Spunk

Generally speaking, Spoon songs are founded in melodic immediacy, steady grooves and faithful employment of crafty yet never too complicated chord sequences. But beyond what sings out from the surface, it’s the creeping qualities that make this band so great. They Want My Soul, Spoon’s eighth LP, is again characterised by patient agility, only this time it’s screened in enhanced definition.

THE CREASES

WHITE FENCE

Gradient Liberation

For The Recently Found Innocent Drag City/Spunk

The Creases are four foppish youths from Brisbane, well studied in unassuming dreamy pop and shoegaze. Their debut EP puts this education towards conjuring memorable vocal hooks and woozy guitar atmosphere.The band sauntered into view late last year with a pair of jangly garage-pop singles, but Gradient determines to push past these scrappy beginnings. The fivetrack set boasts greater sonic clarity and detailed songcraft.

For The Recently Found Innocent prompts the question, how much stylistic semblance is too much?

Here, White Fence mastermind Tim Presley takes the ’60s heyday of Syd Barrett, The Kinks and Small Faces as his point of departure. It’s not a calculated replica, but the 14 tracks of deliciously melodic, psychedelic ’60s pop sure edge close.

Opener ‘Static Lines’ immediately exhibits the band’s romantic disposition. This impression isn’t just communicated by the lyrics – it’s also in the dreamy reverb smeared across the baritone musings and careening guitars. ‘How Long ’Til I Know’ exacts a hypnotic effect, employing tremoloing guitars and a lethargic disco beat.

Even though Joe Agius assumes a despondent tone as he asks things such as, “Why does it always have to come in waves?” he upholds a compelling composure. Similarly downcast co-frontman Jarrod Mahon takes over for ‘Fall Guy’, conveying eagerness that distinguishes him from Mahon. Lyrically, Gradient contains fairly pedestrian reflections on party mishaps and romantic uncertainty, but this doesn’t detract.

So, how does this stylistic debt manifest? Similar to last year’s Cyclops Reap, the record features more acoustic guitar than earlier White Fence releases. But instead of keeping it clean, it’s warped into a myriad of swirling, reverbdrenched shapes. What the LP ultimately rests on is Presley’s vocal melodies, which are a portal straight back to the 1960s’ LSDlaced pop music revolution.

During the LP’s 40 minutes, melodic enjambement, shifting chord sequences and stop-start tempo changes abound. At times there’s a cantering psychic energy, but melodic clarity and relatively refined instrumentation make for a pleasant, dreamlike experience.

The fusion of delicate sentiments and giant guitar noise manifests a very likeable mopey-versus-tough duality.

It’s not quite a cushiony dream.

Rather, it’s akin to a joint-sucking drive into the misty daybreak.

Uncertainty and discord are soon to creep through, but for now you can sit back and enjoy the serene freakiness of this moment.

Augustus Welby

Augustus Welby

Each and every subtlety is invested in, which transmits a strangely relaxed unpredictability. The record extends a smiling introduction, but as more time is spent in its company, many inherent curiosities are revealed.

Augustus Welby

MANIC STREET PREACHERS Futurology Columbia/Sony The lead-up to Manic Street Preachers’ latest work, Futurology, came with a slew of dizzying announcements: sessions at Berlin’s world-famous Hansa studios, a variety of guest vocalists and the return of The Holy Bible producer Alex Silva. Now the results are in, all expectations have been shattered. Fact is, this album is far and away greater than the sum of a few attention-grabbing parts.

Written during the same sessions that produced last year’s Rewind The Film, Futurology – instead of sounding like leftovers – is the Manics’ most monstrous and urgent record in years. The delivery on ‘Europa Geht Durch Mich’ is icy and direct, aided by German film star Nina Hoss who swaps choruses and verses with James Dean Bradfield.

‘Let’s Go To War’, with its blend of Eno-like cavernous/claustrophobic synths, is the sound of reawakened synopsis.

Much of Futurology was conceived as far back as 2007 on a European tour during which bassist/songwriter Nicky Wire was on the verge of leaving the band. Over time these songs were developed into “13 good reasons to not give up”.

MILLIONS Max Relax Stop Start

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On the back of two critically acclaimed EPs, Millions didn’t ride out the wave of anticipation as well as they might have, instead receding from the spotlight to the studio. But maybe there was method to it – Max Relax is a more mature offering than 2012’s Cruel.

All of the signatures from their early days are here, including hectic guitar licks and psychedelic twists, but they’re crisper and stripped back for maximum impact.

I AM GIANT

PENNYWISE

Science & Survival Sony

Yesterdays Epitaph

New Zealand has been producing some fine rock music lately, and the guys from I Am Giant, now London-based, are only adding to that vibe. Science & Survival is true ‘alternative’ rock – it is dark, heavy (for rock) and creates a pretty spine-tingling atmosphere.

It’s been a strained relationship for fans of Los Angeles punk rock institution Pennywise.

Founding member Jim Lindberg left unexpectedly in 2009 and was replaced by extremely talented yet ill-fitting Ignite vocalist Zoli Téglás. 2012’s All Or Nothing, featuring Téglás on vocals, was a reinvigoration, yet it didn’t prove itself to be the return to former glory that Pennywise needed.

At the same time, the songs are very strong and catchy, with excellent vocals and massive, fat grooves. It has big crossover appeal as well – fans of Foo Fighters, Incubus and the like will find something to enjoy here (especially in a track like the superb ‘Transmission’), as will listeners who like The Butterfly Effect and Dead Letter Circus.

For the latter, check out the epic 12-and-a-half minute closer ‘Bought With Ignorance, Sold With Arrogance’. It’s immense.

The sound, courtesy of Australian production genius Forrester Savell, is lush, squeaky clean and extremely powerful – exactly what an album such as this needs – and the musicianship, while quite basic in the greater scheme of things, serves the song to perfection.

Eventually Lindberg returned, and the band has resumed its status as one of melodic punk rock’s most iconic and longest-running outfits. Over 25 years into their career, Pennywise have released Yesterdays, an album of songs originally written in their artistic and commercial peak in the early to mid-’90s, most notably featuring songs written by former bassist Jason Thirsk, who tragically committed suicide in 1996.

On paper, Yesterdays reads more like a footnote addition to a longrunning band’s discography, usually found in long-winded box sets and anthologies, yet the record finds a way to work.

Futurology is one last look back on a forward march into the band’s real future, which is looking and sounding brighter than ever.

There’s nothing superfluous, nothing overwrought, just streamlined and right on the money, allowing the songs to breathe. Science & Survival is a clear winner.

A fitting commemoration to the work of Thirsk, and a nostalgic throwback to a bygone era, Yesterdays may be an easy way of putting out a record without having to actually think of anything new, yet holds its own as a document of this band.

Leigh Salter

Rod Whitfi eld

Joe Hansen

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK Australian garage rock bands might be a dime a dozen, but Millions have managed to rise above the fold. They’re romantics at heart, which changes what could be more of the same indie guitar noise that saturates our airwaves into something complex and unique.

xxx

Opener ‘Rent I Pay’ charges forward with bloodshot madness, Spend Xxxx time with Spoon’s eighth which belies the conventionality of the song. Vocal melodies album, and you’ll be rewarded. scrape like sandpaper, peaking guitars slice through the speakers and the drums are double-tracked, as if refusing to be left behind.

Even though the pockets of frontman Britt Daniel are loaded with priceless melodies and riffs, he doesn’t dip in willy-nilly. Lush keyboard work decorates the surface of ‘Inside Out’, but it’s the rhythmic repetition and smoky vocals that envelop you in nostalgic reflection. Nowhere is this dynamic diligence truer than with Daniel’s vocals. He might own a soil-smeared rasp, but it’s used interchangeably with nimble falsetto. This juxtaposition gives ‘Do You’ – one of Spoon’s finest pop songs to date – the taste of exploding confectionary.

On tracks like ‘B Chill’ they’ve slowed the rhythm down into waltzy slow jam, while ‘Harder Than It Should Be’ falls somewhere between Tame Impala and Mac DeMarco. There are plenty of catchy riffs and a decent dash of pop appeal, but these occasionally fall into blander made-for-radio territory on tracks like ‘Clementine’.

It’s only in the details that Millions separate themselves from the standard indie rock fare, and you’ll be forgiven if you don’t get what the fuss is about. But if you pay attention, you might have found your new favourite guitar band.

OFFICE MIXTAPE And here are the albums that have helped BRAG HQ get through the week...

ONE DAY - Mainline THE KILLS - Blood Pressures “WEIRD AL” YANKOVIC - Mandatory Fun

ARCADE FIRE - Funeral HOT CHIP - The Warning

Emily Meller thebrag.com

live review What we've been out to see...

FOSTER THE PEOPLE, GANG OF YOUTHS Enmore Theatre Tuesday July 29 Their music may split audiences but, love or hate, few would dispute that Foster The People have a way with a catchy chorus.

On the strength of this performance, here’s another indisputable fact: they put on a heck of a show.

Local band Gang Of Youths kicked off the night with their brand of quiet-verseloud-chorus rock and the sort of ferocious energy that only a band with four guitars can produce. Ultimately, though, they were completely shown up by the songcraft and effortless showmanship of Mark Foster and the five guys accompanying him.

Foster The People’s name may hint at democracy, but don’t be fooled. It’s all about the band’s frontman and main songwriter. Diminutive and boyishly handsome, wearing a patterned shortsleeved shirt and dark slacks, he held the crowd under his spell from the second the lights came up and we heard the buzz synths and his striking falsetto on opener

‘Helena Beat’. The broad appeal of the LA-based group should be noted – there were 12-year-old schoolkids and middleaged women. All eyes were drawn to Foster.

Yet stage presence is nothing without material. The setlist was brilliantly compiled – from the piano and “Ooh-oohs” on ‘Houdini’ to getting the whole theatre bouncing during ‘Call It What You Want’ and grooving to the psychedelic dance of ‘Best Friend’.

It built towards the surprise highlight of the night, ‘A Beginner’s Guide To Destroying The Moon’, which demonstrated that there is much more to the band than lightweight riffs and sing-along hooks. “Now I’m staring at the moon / Wondering why the bottom fell out … Open your eyes, and share this burden somehow”.

Prior to their encore, in ‘Miss You’, Foster shared how he would “Smile at the chance to see you again”. It’s exactly what I’m doing now. It was as entertaining a show as I’ve seen all year.

David Wild

KE PHOTOGRAPHER :: KATRINA CLAR

RY X, LITTLE MAY Oxford Art Factory Tuesday July 29 It’s been a big year for Little May, winning the triple j Unearthed spot for the Sydney leg of Laneway Festival and then making it onto the Splendour In The Grass bill. But with a noticeable gap at the front of the stage not everything was going their way tonight. Playing songs off their debut EP, the band barely acknowledged the crowd.

It was only once the soaring harmonies of ‘Dust’ emerged did the audience begin to sing along and cheer.

The curtains were drawn momentarily before Ry X, AKA Ry Cuming, emerged in an incense-filled, candlelit space. The stage had become an altar at which the crowd had come to worship. The audience could only listen as Cuming’s crooning voice soared over the sparse drum kicks.

Multi-instrumentalist Jens Kuross created

thebrag.com

raw moments around Cuming’s guitar and vocoder with the harsh, clanging hi-hats smoothly embracing each other throughout the set.

Opening with ‘Shortline’, the rough licks of Cuming’s guitar easily merged with his calming voice. But the most haunting moment was ‘Howling’. The candles continued to flicker with the music as if they were somehow in sync.

Cuming seemed overwhelmed by the amazement of the crowd, but if anything the onlookers at the Oxford Art Factory were the ones hypnotised by the singer’s obvious talent. Cuming explained at the end of his set that the Ry X project was something he was originally thinking about not releasing. Only after its organic spread across the globe did he decide to take it seriously. Great call.

Liam Apter

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snap sn ap up all night out all week . . .

live review What we've been out to see...

SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS North Byron Parklands Friday July 25 – Sunday July 27 Splendour In The Grass 2014 kicked off on a Friday that saw a sea of kids, oldies, (actual) kids and happy revellers all get in and begin to get cozy for a big weekend of music in what turned out to be some amazing Byron weather. If you were playing festival fashion bingo and you had Docs, ill-advised open toe footwear, every major ’90s trend, ironic onesies, a few Where’s Wallys and understudies for the entire USA Basketball Team, you were onto a winner.

Day One turned the sunny weather up to 11, and Tkay Maidza turned the Mix Up tent up to something like 13 – the Adelaide pocket rocket rapper grinning and jumping around the stage and just generally killing it in her midday slot. DMA’s, the band who you’d be most likely to avoid eye contact with if you ran into them on public transport, showed the genesis of their success to date, and DZ Deathrays played a set worthy of the biggest lounge room ever, literally setting the stage on fire with the aid of pyrotechnics.

Precocious Irish teens The Strypes took the stage with all the attitude of baby Gallaghers before Ball Park Music led the crowd in an epic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ cover as the sun dipped below the hill. Peking Duk drew a massive crowd to prove to Australia they’d

PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

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thebrag.com

arrived, while on the main stage, Spiderbait reminded everyone they’d been together for 25 years, yet failed to really grab the audience.

Kelis was the undeniable queen of Splendour, with her gold lame backdrop, purple velour gown and wild hair. She wowed with a sultry set that kicked off with ‘Trick Me’ and featured a bossa nova rendition of ‘Milkshake’. Childish Gambino then took over like a more down-to-earth Kanye, impressing everyone with a tight live band and some amazing visuals. Over at the Amphitheatre, Outkast thankfully gave everyone the set they were hoping for, and were a highlight of the weekend.

André 3000 was at his most wonderfully weird, donning an alien wig and spacesuit as he death-growled a lot of his vocals.

The chemistry between he and Big Boi was crackling, as both were obviously having a great time onstage while going through a full catalogue of old and new hits that kept the whole crowd smiling ear-to-ear.

Saturday was all about show-stealing, with Violent Soho proving to a massive crowd why they’re the next kings of Australian rock, and harking back to the glory days of Grinspoon’s oft-loved BDO sets. Foals then made us completely forget who the other band they replaced even were, while being easily the tightest and most slick group of the weekend. In between the two, 360 gave

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the kids something to smile about, while City And Colour went electric – Dallas Green revealed an Americana tint to many of his songs, but it was back to basics for ‘Body In A Box’ and triumphant closer ‘The Girl’.

Day three kicked off with The Creases offering shoegazey psych rock, before Broods’ Georgia Nott evoked a sportsluxe Lana Del Rey, and Jungle were ridiculously danceable. Courtney Barnett crushed it over at the GW McLennan Tent with a refreshingly laidback set that was rendered even cooler by her lack of affectation, before gold-clad First Aid Kit and their impossibly gorgeous harmonies mesmerised.

Hilltop Hoods held onto the Aussie hip hop crown with a set of hits featuring Plutonic Lab on live drums, while Danny Brown tore the Mix Up tent a new one a few times over, becoming one of the stage’s highlights.

Lily Allen headlined the Amphitheatre, delivering a cheekily provocative pop party to close the festival. Bouncing around a forest of neon baby bottles in front of a backdrop of naked guys with the trappings of wealth preserving their dignity (which bookended the booty chicks of Outkast perfectly), Allen gave good show. As did Splendour 2014. Two thumbs up.

Natalie Amat and Julian Ramundi

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live review

up all night out all week . . .

What we've been out to see...

HUSKY, TWIN CAVERNS

30:07:14 :: Beach Road Hotel :: 71 Beach Rd Bondi Beach 9130 7247

PICS :: JA

sosueme ft. jenny broke the window

Newtown Social Club Thursday July 31 Melbourne’s Husky didn’t quite make the splash they deserved with their superb 2012 debut, Forever So. Perhaps their brand of indie-folk didn’t come with enough mandolins or waistcoats to fit the trend. In any case, Husky’s return to the Sydney stage ahead of their new album is a welcome one, with a sold-out Newtown Social Club evidence that they’ll soon get another chance to capture broader attentions.

Twin Caverns fill the support slot tonight, playing a thoughtful hybrid of electronica and guitar-driven soul. The crowd is partially seated, but the Sydney duo perks things up with sprawling closer ‘Undiscover’.

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By the time Husky arrive – boasting much more impressive hair these days, it must be said – the venue is packed tight. The cavernous tones of ‘Dark Sea’ come first, with every melody matched one-for-one by a flowing Husky Gawenda lyric. Despite the band’s nomenclature, however, it’s not all about the frontman – Husky’s signature is fashioned equally from the keys contributions of Gideon Preiss, who swirls his way over a ‘Tidal Wave’ solo and shares

perpetual Simon & Garfunkel harmonies with Gawenda.

There’s still an element of ‘handle with care’ about what Husky do, and even the older favourite ‘The Woods’ feels like a long three minutes before its big exhale. However, the new album material on display tonight shows a concerted commitment to write more expansively and with more radio-friendly tempos. A commercial compromise? Not necessarily – while the new tracks are understandably not quite as rehearsed, they still reflect Husky’s patient dedication to songcraft.

When Gawenda says the new album will be out in October, he gets a cheer equal only to that which welcomes one of the band’s early triumphs, ‘History’s Door’. Then it’s the latest single, ‘I’m Not Coming Back’, and a promise that they will – though it comes even sooner than expected with a quick encore of two songs, ‘Hunter’ and another on which the four band members share two mics at the front of stage. When we see them next, Husky may well have another album of understated gems to share with an audience that owes itself the chance to hear them.

Chris Martin

PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

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first aid kit

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up all night out all week . . .

ben howard

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29:07:14 :: Metro Theatre :: 624 George St Sydney 9550 3666

metronomy

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28:07:14 :: Metro Theatre :: 624 George St Sydney 9550 3666 thebrag.com

the 1975

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31:07:14 :: Enmore Theatre :: 118-132 Enmore Rd Newtown 9550 3666

30:07:14 :: Enmore Theatre :: 118 -132 Enmore Rd Newtown 9550 3666 OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER

S :: JAMES AMBROSE :: KATRINA

CLARKE :: ASHLEY MAR ::

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g g guide g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

pick of the week Kasabian

SUNDAY AUGUST 10

Forest Lodge Hotel, Forest Lodge. 7:30pm. free.

Stuart Jammin Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 7:30pm. free.

Transvaal Diamond Syndicate + Bonez Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 9pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Cole Soul And Emotion feat: Lionel Cole The White Horse, Surry Hills.

8pm. free.

Sensaround + Alister Spence Trio + Raymond Macdonald + Shoeb Ahmad Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $21.50.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Hordern Pavilion

Kasabian + The Delta Riggs 7pm. $79.50.

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 6 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Gang Of Brothers Jam Night Spring Street Social, Bondi.

9pm. free.

Lionel Cole Imperial Hotel, Paddington.

8pm. free.

On The Stoop With Christa Hughes Venue 505, Surry Hills. 6pm. $10.

Phill Stack Trio - feat: Phil Stack Play Bar, Surry Hills. 8pm. free.

The Brassholes Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $16.50.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

30 :: BRAG :: 574 :: 06:08:14

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Andy Mammers Duo Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney. 9pm. free.

Baby Animals Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 6pm. $40.

Drunk Mums Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. free.

Evie Dean Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill.

7:30pm. free.

Fat Bubba’s Chicken Wednesdays Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

5pm. free.

Greg Agar Duo Ettamogah Hotel, Kelly Ridge.

6:30pm. free.

Indie Night Wednesdays - Feat: Little Fox + Tom Stephens + Gordi Marble Bar, Sydney. 7:30pm.

free.

Loretta D’Urso + Andrew Denniston Leichhardt Bowling Club, Leichhardt. 7:30pm. free.

Musos Club Jam Night Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 8pm. free.

Peking Duk Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $28.70.

Shredders Lair Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale. 6pm. free.

The Chosen Few Duo Orient Hotel, The Rocks.

9:30pm. free.

The Mesclados Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $12.

THURSDAY AUGUST 7 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Live Music Thursdays Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. free.

Loretta D’Urso

FRIDAY AUGUST 8 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Melissa Oliveira - feat: Jam Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $29.50.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Bart Smith + Thyrsday Rosehill Hotel, Clyde. 7:30pm. free.

Eddie Boyd And The Phatapillars Coogee Diggers, Coogee.

8pm. free.

Hicks & Hillbillies - feat: Extension Chords Spring Street Social, Bondi.

8pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Andrew Denniston + Starr Witness + Our Friend Barbra + Steve Tulinsky Duo Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 8pm. free.

After Party Band Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. free.

After Party Band Campbelltown Catholic Club, Campbelltown. 9:30pm. free.

Alex Hopkins New Brighton Hotel, Manly.

10pm. free.

Andy Mammers + Crash Avenue Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 10:30pm. free.

Angie Dean Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill.

6:30pm. free.

Apes Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst.

8pm. $13.30.

Ben Finn Trio The Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill.

9pm. free.

Blake Tailor Duo Old Fitzroy Hotel, 8pm. free.

Bodyjar + Blueline Medic Manning Bar, Camperdown.

8pm. $38.

Bounce Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 10pm. free.

Brett And Neddi Duo Ettamogah Hotel, Kelly Ridge.

7pm. free.

Carl Fidlar Observer Hotel, The Rocks.

5:30pm. free.

Cath & Him Hornsby RSL, Hornsby. 8pm. free.

Darren Johnstone Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill.

9pm. free.

Dave Phillips Greystanes Inn, Greystanes Inn. 8pm. free.

Dave White Trio Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 9pm. free.

Evie Dean Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 7pm. free.

Finn Edgeworth Tavern, Edgeworth. 8:30pm. free.

Fourkicks - feat: Flaccid Mohawk + Kite Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10.

Grand Theft Audio Exchange Hotel, Darlinghurst.

8pm. free.

Hanson Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

8pm. $65.

Heath Burdell Le Pub, Sydney. 8pm. free.

Joe Echo Trio Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill.

10:30pm. free.

Joseph Gatehau

Quakers Inn, Quakers Hill.

8pm. free.

Krishna Jones Harbord Beach Hotel, Harbord. 7pm. free.

La Mar + Twin Caverns Standard Bowl, Surry Hills.

8pm. free.

Lime Cordiale + Empty Fish Tank Tattersalls Hotel Penrith, Penrith. 8:30pm. free.

Live Music At The Royal The Royal, Leichhardt.

9:30pm. free.

Mandi Jarry Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 7pm. free.

Matt Jones Duo Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee.

9pm. free.

Matt Jones Duo The Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill.

8pm. free.

Michael McGlynn Kirribilli Hotel, Milsons Point.

8pm. free.

Renee Geyer + Grace Pitts Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $51.

Richard Cuthbert + The Maple Trail + Melodie Nelson + Chubby Thumbs DJs Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale. 8pm. free.

Rose Carleo The Oriental Hotel, Springwood. 8pm. free.

Ryan Thomas Brewhouse Marayong, Kings Park. 8pm. free.

Seattle Sound Colonial Hotel, Werrington.

9pm. free.

Shane Flew Observer Hotel, The Rocks.

4pm. free.

Spiderbait Metro Theatre, Sydney.

7:30pm. $39.90.

The Nuyorica Orchestra & Latin Jam Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8pm. $15.

The Real Deal Panthers, Penrith. 8pm. free.

The Zoo City Lads + Taking Berlin + Television Children + Claire And The Cops FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10.

Transvaal Diamond Syndicate + D’Luna + Bones Atlas + The Organics Studio Six, Sutherland. 8pm. $12.

Uncle Jed Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $25.

Victoria Avenue Adria, Sydney. 4pm. free.

Wayne ‘The Train’ Hancock Factory Theatre, Marrickville.

8pm. $44.

Weekend Special - feat: Holy Balm + Michael Ozone + Hydro Majestic + Dads With Earrings + Del Goodgod Small Club, Sydney.

10pm. $10.

William Brothers Duo Ramsgate RSL, San Souci.

8pm. free.

Zoltan Australian Hotel And Brewery, Rouse Hill. 7pm. free.

SATURDAY AUGUST 9 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Lil Haze Town & Country Hotel, St Peters. 8pm. free.

Paul Hayward And Friends Town & Country Hotel, St Peters. 4pm. free.

Red Slim Spring Street Social, Bondi.

10:30pm. free.

Stuart Jammin Petersham Bowling Club, Petersham. 8pm. free.

Sweet Jelly Rolls + The Plough

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xxx

Chris Raicevich +Victoria Young

The Loft (UTS), Ultimo. 6pm. free.

Mitch Anderson & His Organic Orchestra Coopers Hotel, Newtown.

8:45pm. free.

10 O’Clock Rock Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney.

10pm. free.

Alex Hopkins Open Mic Night Wenty Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 9pm. free.

Alkemie Night - feat: Live Music + DJ Sudek Spring Street Social, Bondi.

9:30pm. free.

Andrew Denniston + Smack Pandas Hampshire Hotel, Camperdown. 7:30pm. free.

Bielfield & Glen Metro Theatre, Sydney.

7:30pm. $49.70.

Black Diamond Hearts Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

10pm. free.

Cambo Observer Hotel, The Rocks.

8:30pm. free.

Captain Keen’s Joy Machine + Olivia Jean Hucker Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10.

Chris Raicevich + Fox Gladstone Hotel, Chippendale.

8:30pm. free.

Dave White Duo Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney.

9:30pm. free.

DJ Wazz Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 8pm. free.

G.O.D. Town & Country Hotel, St Peters. 7pm. free.

Gem Qantas Credit Union Arena, Darling Harbour. 8:15pm. $71.98.

Greg Agar Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 7:30pm. free.

Janet Levy Duo Nag’s Head Hotel, Glebe.

8:15pm. free.

Joe Echo Dee Why Hotel, Dee Why. 7pm. free.

Melody Rhymes Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 7:30pm. free.

Mescalero - feat: Steve Edmonds Rock Lily, Pyrmont. 8pm. free.

Musos Club Jam Night Carousel Inn Hotel, Rooty Hill.

8pm. free.

New Bermuda Circus Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8pm. free.

Renee Geyer Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $48.

Rita Satch + Hannah Robinson + Lana Rita FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10.

Spencer Ray Duo Orient Hotel, The Rocks.

9:30pm. free.

The Late Night Soda Social Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

5pm. free.

The White Brothers New Brighton Hotel, Manly.

10pm. free.

Thursday Night At The Flinders - feat: Palms DJs Flinders Hotel, Surry Hills.

9pm. free.

g g guide g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Katoomba RSL, Katoomba.

8:30pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Fiona Joy & The Blue Dream Ensemble Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $30.50.

Jazz In The Glen - feat: Northside Jazz Band + More Glen Street Theatre, Belrose.

11am. $75.

Xxx

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

AJ Harbourview Hotel, The Rocks. 8pm. free.

Blake Tailor Duo Town Hall Hotel, Balmain.

10pm. free.

C.O.F.F.I.N. - feat: Hoon + Deadly Visions + Death Sleds + Deviated Septum Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10.

Chosen Few Penrith RSL, Penrith. 9pm. free.

Cull + Fait + Seims + Hawkmoth FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10.

Darren Johnstone Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill.

8pm. free.

DJ Mounties, Mount Pritchard.

8pm. free.

Drunk Mums + Skegss Standard Bowl, Surry Hills.

8pm. free.

Elevate Orient Hotel, The Rocks.

9:30pm. free.

Gang Of Brothers + Poly + Ashley Ellen Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. free.

Geoff Bull And The Finer Cuts Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm. free.

Green Manalisha Town & Country Hotel, St Peters. 7:30pm. free.

Groovology Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci.

8pm. free.

Harmony Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $15.

Hot August Night (Neil Diamond Show) + 30 Piece Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8pm. $50.

I Am Giant Spectrum, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $15.

Neurosis + Adrift For Days Manning Bar, Camperdown.

8pm. $65.30.

Nova And The Experience + Gena Rose Bruce + Joe Mungovan Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst.

8pm. $10.

Paul Hayward Town & Country Hotel, St Peters. 2pm. free.

Peking Duk Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $28.70.

Quake Machine + Blacksmith + The Dirty Earth Tattersalls Hotel Penrith, Penrith. 8:30pm. free.

Reckless South Hurstville RSL Club, South Hurstville. 9pm. free.

Roland Tings Goodgod Small Club, Sydney.

11pm. $15.

Rose Carleo Panthers, Penrith. 5pm. free.

Seattle Sound Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills. 10pm. free.

Taylor Henderson Towradgi Beach Hotel, Towradgi. 7:30pm. $40.

The Catholics Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8pm. $20.

The Hadron Colliders +

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Buffalo + Wolf Altrabac Hampshire Hotel, Camperdown. 7:30pm. free.

The Kamis Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. free.

The Last Waltz Revival Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $30.

The New Vintage Panthers, Penrith. 9pm. free.

The Snape Brothers Belmont 16s, Belmont.

8:30pm. free.

Tim Shaw Kelly’s On King, Newtown.

9pm. free.

Total Addiction - feat: Strange Karma + Breaking Point Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 8pm. $10.

Transvaal Diamond Syndicate Lewisham Hotel, Lewisham.

8pm. free.

Twenty One Pilots Metro Theatre, Sydney.

7:30pm. $39.90.

Vip Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 10pm. free.

Willow Beats + Lucianblomkamp + Twin Caverns Goodgod Small Club, Sydney.

8pm. $18.40.

SUNDAY AUGUST 10 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Supergroup + Kirkvoids Town & Country Hotel, St Peters. 5pm. free.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Dougie Dekroo’s Kentucky Moon Union Hotel, Newtown. 4pm. free.

Intimate Sessions Paragon Hotel, Sydney. 6pm. free.

Live Music Sundays Bar100, The Rocks. 1pm. free.

Menagerie - feat: Green Mohair Suits + Reichardt + That Red Head The Welcome Hotel, Rozelle.

4pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Beaten Bodies Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $13.

Bruce!

Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 4pm.

Finn And Friends Town Hall Hotel, Balmain.

6:30pm. free.

Hue Williams Bayview Tavern, Gladesville.

2pm. free.

Jackson Holt Panthers, Penrith. 2pm. free.

Kasabian + The Delta Riggs Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park.

7pm. $79.50.

Peach Montgomery + Guests Garry Owen Hotel, Rozelle.

2pm. free.

Phil Simmons Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci.

2pm. free.

Taylor Henderson Metro Theatre, Sydney.

6:30pm. $43.90.

The Band With Two Brains Town & Country Hotel, St Peters. 4pm. free.

The Weight - feat: Controlled + Uppercut + More Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 1pm. $10.

Transvaal Diamond Syndicate Shady Pines, Darlinghurst.

6pm. free.

wed

Big Swing Band Tattersalls Hotel Penrith, Penrith. 7:30pm. free.

Latin & Jazz Jam Open Mic Night World Bar, Kings Cross. 7pm. free.

Motown Mondays - feat: Soulgroove The White Horse, Surry Hills.

8pm. free.

Reggae Monday Civic Underground, Sydney.

10pm. free.

Aug

(9:30PM - 12:30AM)

(9:30PM - 12:30AM)

fri

08 Aug (4:30PM - 7:30PM)

(9:30PM - 1:30AM)

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

sat

09

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

sun

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

Aug

Stuart Jammin + Massimo Presti + Rick Taylor + Chris Brookes Kelly’s On King, Newtown.

7:30pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

07

Aug

MONDAY AUGUST 11 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

thu

06

10 Aug

(8:30PM - 12:00AM)

(9:30PM - 1:15PM)

mon

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

tue

11 Aug

12 Aug (9:00PM - 12:00AM)

(9:30PM - 12:30AM)

TUESDAY AUGUST 12 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Old School Funk & Groove Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8pm. free.

Swingtime Tuesdays The Basement, Circular Quay.

7pm. $9.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Declan Kelly + PJ O’Brien And Davo Fester + Jenna Murphy + Manana Bar 34 Bondi, Bondi Beach.

8pm. free.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Blues Tuesdays Spring Street Social, Bondi.

7:30pm. free.

Innersoul Live - feat: Wayne Chater + Scott Teu Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. free.

The Delta Riggs

BRAG :: 574 :: 06:08:14 :: 31

gig picks Rock tribute shows don’t get any better!

up all night out all week...

Glenn A. Baker

Hanson

present the

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 6 Baby Animals Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 6pm. $40.

Drunk Mums Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm.

Free.

Indie Night Wednesdays - feat: Little Fox + Tom Stephens + Gordi Marble Bar, Sydney. 7:30pm. Free.

THURSDAY AUGUST 7 Bielfield & Glen Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7:30pm. $49.70.

Renee Geyer Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $48.

Rita Satch + Hannah Robinson + Lana Rita FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10.

FRIDAY AUGUST 8 Apes Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $13.30.

Bodyjar + Blueline Medic Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $38.

Hanson Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $65.

Melissa Oliveira - feat: Jam Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $29.50.

GUEST VOCALISTS

JACK JONES • JIMMY CUPPLES SIMON MELI THE WIDOWBIRDS AMY FINDLAY STONEFIELD • ZKYE

9 Piece Band • String Section • Big Screen Visuals

LAYCOCK ST THEATRE GOSFORD FRI 15 & SAT 16 AUG laycockstreettheatre.com

Richard Cuthbert + The Maple Trail + Melodie Nelson + Chubby Thumbs DJs Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale. 8pm.

Free.

Rita Satch Gang Of Brothers + Poly + Ashley Ellen Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm.

Free.

Harmony Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $15.

I Am Giant Spectrum, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $15.

Neurosis + Adrift For Days Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $65.30.

Nova And The Experience + Gena Rose Bruce + Joe Mungovan Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $10.

Willow Beats + Lucianblomkamp + Twin Caverns Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $18.40.

SUNDAY AUGUST 10

Spiderbait Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7:30pm. $39.90.

Bruce!

Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 4pm.

Uncle Jed Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $25.

Taylor Henderson Metro Theatre, Sydney. 6:30pm. $43.90.

SATURDAY AUGUST 9 Cull + Fait + Seims + Hawkmoth FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10.

TUESDAY AUGUST 12 Innersoul Live - feat: Wayne Chater + Scott Teu Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm.

THE STATE THEATRE SYDNEY SAT 23 AUG 136 100

I Am Giant

32 :: BRAG :: 574 :: 06:08:14

thebrag.com

BRAG’s guide to dance, hip hop and club culture

brag beats

true vibenation

presentation night

walk the walk

also: + club guide + club snaps + weekly column

thebrag.com

BRAG :: 574 :: 06:08:14 :: 33

brag beats

BRAG’s guide to dance, hip hop and club culture

dance music news club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Chris Martin

he said she said WITH

Fingertips

DANNY G FELIX FROM JAZZ HIP HOP SESSIONS

IT’S FINGERTIPS

T

alk us through the concept of the Jazz Hip Hop Late Night Sessions.

Every Friday night at Foundry616 jazz and hip hop make babies. That’s how our house honey hostess Inês describes it, and she should know! Jazz instrumentalists and hip hop MCs perform and create in the moment.

No set recipe – we make it up on the spot, off the top, as the mood fits. We aim to push the boundaries of our musical flow, words, and dancefloor grinding. We challenge ourselves and the listeners while keeping the juices flowing.

Who’s involved in the crew?

We have a house band called the House Honeys.

I’ve already mentioned Inês, our hype woman and vocalist. Billy Green is the resident MC and we

have a revolving rhythm section of happening and versatile jazz and hip hop musicians. Joe Littlefield AKA J Walk is our sax man and stratospheric thinker and DJ Sam Z is often there to slay the musicians and keep the beats pumping in the breaks. As it is a jam session we always have different performers jumping up from the audience. I direct the musicians onstage and make weird noises from the baby grand piano.

What is it about these styles of music that works so well with improvisation?

Improvisation is the lifeblood of both jazz and hip hop.

Hip hop has always stolen fragments from jazz and since the ’90s hip hop has been like the popular cousin to jazz, edging it to stay young and evolving. I was first turned on to the sound of jazz hip hop when I heard

The Roots’ album Do You Want More?!!!??! with Steve Coleman on sax. J Walk and I have been studying the rhythmic innovations of Steve Coleman and the M-base movement and we like to throw those at the rappers and the Foundry crowd to spice things up.

Have you uncovered any new superstars?

Jazz hip hop is an egalitarian form, so it’s not about superstars. Having said that, amazing new talent pops up every week. A few names to look out for are Billy Green, Natalie Slade, Kween G, Mtuse, Sampa, Ltl Gzeus, Vanessa Caspersz, Chux, Shazza T, Little Hunta, Diolita, Dobby and G.O.D. Where: Foundry616 When: Every Friday night from 11:30pm

She’s as close to a born performer as we’ve seen around these parts, and Sydney’s Fingertips is back on deck at FBi Social on Friday August 15. The multi-talented singer/ rapper/producer/DJ has been plying her trade around the world, landing in New York last year to write and record with Dan Walker of The Death Set. The punked-up electronica of her EP, A.D.D City, arrived in June, and she DJed recently in support of Sky Ferreira.

Joining her this time around will be Michelle Xen & The Neon Wild, previewing their Dynamics Of Disobedience EP, and Selahphonic.

CLIVE HENRY

A leading figure in underground dance circles, Clive Henry will make his way to Australia for a three-date tour this month. One half of tech house collaboration Peace Division, Henry landed in the UK acid house scene of the late ’80s, and has not looked back since. In 1998 he and Justin Drake founded the Low Pressings label, before working together as Peace Division. Elsewhere, Henry has spun as a resident at Circo Loco and DC10. He’ll light up Chinese Laundry on Saturday August 23.

and Worlds Collide. The supporting cast at this weekend’s club night includes Vengeance, Kyro, Ncrypt, Spenda C, Thierry D and Mr Pink.

NICK THAYER

The Bassic night is becoming a new Friday fixture at Chinese Laundry, and this Friday August 8 sees Nick Thayer invited back from his Canadian tour to launch his Dominion EP. The OWSLA fella has the thumbs up from Skrillex – with whom he’ll share a spot on the Stereosonic bill this year – and his new release follows his previous EPs, Like Boom

STEREOSONIC 2014

Lil Jon

HERE’S JONNY

ASHLEY WALLBRIDGE + MARLO

Britain’s Ashley Wallbridge and adopted Aussie MaRLo, formerly of the Netherlands, split the bill at Marquee this Saturday August 9. Producer and DJ Wallbridge couldn’t be better suited to the venue, with his take on big room sounds landing him in the booth at LA’s Exchange, London’s Ministry of Sound, Space Ibiza and festivals like Creamfields and Global Gathering. Meanwhile, MaRLo’s trance productions have seen him signed to Armin van Buuren’s Armada Music. ‘Boom’, his ubiquitous anthem of 2013, is but one you can expect he’ll drop from behind the decks.

34 :: BRAG :: 574 :: 06:08:14

Adam Port and &Me

KEINEMUSIK SHOWCASE

Berlin pair Adam Port and &Me will feature at a Keinemusik label showcase in Sydney this September. The Mantra Collective and Casting Out party, held outside the lockout zone, sees Keinemusik’s label heads bringing their house and techno sounds alongside beats from Locus Cadre, Braille and Benji & Stats. The party kicks off at the Imperial Hotel in Erskineville on Saturday September 13.

Say whaaaaaat! Lil Jon, the man who earned a Guinness World Record for the largest diamond pendant on Earth (“Crunk Ain’t Dead,” it spelled), is bringing the bling to Australia on a DJ tour. He’s billed as “one of the hardest partying DJs in the US”, so the bar is set high for his appearances Down Under. You can thank or blame Lil Jon, depending on your point of view, for ‘Turn Down For What’, which he released in 2013 alongside DJ Snake. Turn up to see Jon turn it up at Marquee on Saturday October 25.

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Jazz Hip Hop Sessions photo by Priit Siimon Creative

Depending on whom you ask, this might be the biggest festival lineup in Australia this year. Stereosonic is returning for a two-day blockbuster this November, and the lineup has fans licking their lips and shaking their hips.

Calvin Harris, Tiësto, Diplo, Disclosure (DJ set), W&W, DJ Snake, Duke Dumont, Will Sparks, RL Grime, Peking Duk and more will play day one, but you’ll want to leave something in the tank for a day two that features Skrillex, Alesso, Steve Aoki, Showtek, Dash Berlin, Carl Cox, Porter Robinson (live), Laidback Luke, New World Punx, TJR, Ferry Corsten, Noisia, Deorro, Headhunterz, MK, DVBBS, Booka Shade (live), Markus Schulz, What So Not, Joel Fletcher, John O’Callaghan, Foreign Beggars, Hot Since 82, Alison Wonderland… the list goes on. Stereosonic takes over the Sydney Showground on Saturday November 29 and Sunday November 30.

Presentation Night Urthboy Talks Footy By Augustus Welby

S

port and music don’t always unite harmoniously. The high school caste divide between bicep-bearing jocks and mop-topped musos can leave an enduring imprint on one’s tastes.

Sure, sporting paraphernalia features prominently in hip hop culture, but it’s usually a symbol of hometown pride rather than an act of fandom. However, when it comes to Sydney’s favourite MC, Urthboy (AKA Tim Levinson), there’s no doubt about it – he’s sports mad.

“There’s very few [sports] that I haven’t participated in,” he says. “I don’t think I’m an overly competitive person but I love a sporting contest and I love the physicality of it. That has left me with injuries that tell the tale. I’ve got two ankles which sometimes feel like they are the ankles of a man twice my age, I’ve got a creaking knee, I’ve had tennis elbow too many times to mention, I’ve dislocated my shoulder, I’ve done my collarbone.”

True Vibenation Switching Up, Switching On By Jody Macgregor

S

ydney hip hop trio True Vibenation are in Byron Bay, where they’ve just played the first show of a new tour. They also found time to duck off to Splendour In The Grass for a day to see Outkast, rescheduling a Brisbane show to ensure they could see the act who are “one of the reasons we started doing hip hop and rapping,” according to MC, producer and trumpet player Native Wit. With a little understatement, he says, “We’re pretty big fans.”

Like Outkast, True Vibenation want each of their albums to be something different. Their second release, On, combines the soulful, oldschool sounds of tracks like ‘Back In The Day’ and ‘Dressed To Chill’ with more up-to-theminute production like the synths, sirens and clap-beats of ‘Question Mark Music’.

“The concept from the start was musically just to switch it up and make it a bit more modern and a bit more electronic-sounding, but still have that True Vibe sound, and still have the horns, and still have good songs,” says Wit. “That was the idea since the start. We could have come out and made a ’90s boom-bap album or something but our sound has shifted over time, so we decided we wanted to do something a bit forward-thinking.”

On the subject of forward thinking, ‘Attack Of The Robots’ takes that literally and imagines a future in which cyborgs take over the Earth.

True Vibenation’s songs usually veer between life-affirming party tunes and message-heavy political tracks; sci-fi narrative is a new one for them. “I threw the beat to Verbaleyes and he came up with the chorus and went with the ‘Attack Of The Robots’ thing. It ended up being about this dystopic future, sorta like the plot of Terminator really, or The Animatrix or something like that. Looking towards the future at the point where robots and artificial intelligence become so strong and so tough that they figure out humans are one of the worst parasites on the earth and decide to wipe

thebrag.com

them out. It’s definitely, concept-wise, one of the most weird and out-there songs.”

Head along to a True Vibenation show and you might get turned into a cyborg yourself.

Members of the audience are brought onstage and made into components in their ‘human drum machine’. Wit explains: “We get people onstage and we wire them up to the laptop – we figured out a way we can configure them so when we touch them or hit them on the hand it triggers the drum sample, so we can play each person like a human drum machine. One person becomes a kick, one person becomes a snare.” He’s quick to clarify that nobody’s in danger while being wired up. “You get people onstage and at first they’re a bit freaked out, they think they’ll get electrocuted or something.

They have a good time in the end!”

While Levinson has lent his arms and legs to just about every sport you can think of, there’s one spectator sport he has a particular affection for: Australian rules football. This makes him a perfect fi t to join former Sydney Swans star Jude Bolton for a discussion of life, music and football at the Presentation Night event next week. You mightn’t pick it based on his conscientious lyrical perspective, but Levinson’s Swans fandom goes way deep.

“I get swept up in the great big irrational emotional experience of it all,” he says.

“There are aspects of the trials and tribulations of your favourite sporting teams that have all these great consequences on who you are and the way you look at the world. You can be lifted up and feel great about the world, yet you can have this hard to pinpoint feeling of emptiness when your team has a bad loss.”

Presentation Night won’t just feature Levinson and Bolton sitting onstage – ABC radio sports afi cionado Francis Leach

will mediate the discussion. The ensuing conversation will no doubt highlight some major similarities and differences between making music and playing football. One apparent point of contrast is the fact that a lifelong sporting career is resolutely out of the question for anyone, whereas it’s possible for musicians to keep performing until retirement. Levinson suggests this isn’t a major difference, however.

“We both have, definitely, short career options. Of course a musician can continue playing until they die, but you cannot maintain that peak level for a long time.

The majority of musicians who are lucky enough to experience a little bit of success find it quite fleeting. An AFL player is lucky to have ten to 15 years and then after that there’s a tiny bunch that go into media and the rest just have to get on with life.”

Alright then, enough reality checking – back to the love of the game. The Swans themselves are having a stellar season.

After a shaky start, the team tore into a 12-game winning streak, which equals the club record. Plenty of credit must go to the squad’s expensive new recruit, Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin. Initially, diehard Sydney supporters begrudged Franklin’s nine-year, $10 million signing. Levinson, though, has no complaints about the ex-Hawthorn player’s on-fi eld exploits.

“How can you not be a Buddy supporter?

He’s played some of the most thrilling football anyone has played in the league this year. With any team when they get a new recruit, especially a well-paid one, a lot of the heart-and-soul fans take a little while to warm to that new player. But you cannot argue, the guy’s just playing some of the most exhilarating football that anyone has played for quite some time.”

What: Presentation Night Where: The Vic, Enmore When: Wednesday August 13

A True Vibenation live show is more than just two MCs and a DJ recreating edited highlights of their albums and asking you to put your hands in the air. It’s not just “song, song, song, stop, everyone clap here”, as Wit puts it. As well as the audience participation like the human drum machine, they like to step away from the mics to transform into a live horn section – Native Wit plays the trumpet, while Verbaleyes and DJ Gabe are both saxophonists – which isn’t something you see at a regular hip hop gig.

“We’ve always put a lot of effort into our live show. When you can connect with people in a meaningful or a fun way it makes the show better. Rather than just do the whole call-andresponse thing we try to flip it up in ways like that to make the show more interesting.”

What: On out now through Big Village Where: Newtown Social Club / Beach Road Hotel, Bondi When: Friday August 8 / Wednesday August 20

BRAG :: 574 :: 06:08:14 :: 35

Off The Record Dance and Electronica with Tyson Wray

L

ocal party purveyors Astral People are turning three later this month and to celebrate they’re taking over the entirety of Goodgod Small Club for one night only. Over the past three years Astral have thrown hundreds of parties around Sydney with countless numbers of internationals, worked with events such as Vivid LIVE, Subsonic and Strawberry Fields and of course spawned their own Thom Yorke-approved festival OutsideIn. This evening will be a celebration and showcase of the countless number of killer locals acts whose careers have been fostered by Astral, including Collarbones, Cosmo’s Midnight, Dro Carey, Jonti, Rainbow Chan and a whole lot more. It goes down on Saturday August 30.

It’s been revealed that New York legend Danny Tenaglia has stepped up to the plate to mix the forthcoming Balance 25.

Over the course of his 30-year career Tenaglia has been a staple in Brooklyn’s bubbling house and techno fraternity.

It’s his first commercial compilation in six years and over two discs features 36 tracks (most of which have been reworked

by Tenaglia) that span the heavier realms of techno with cuts from the likes of Ø [Phase], Regis, Gregor Tresher, Kangding Ray and Hot Since 82. It’ll drop on Friday September 5.

Southern Spice By Augustus Welby

M

elbourne DJ Aram Chabdjian brings his satchel of eclectic taste to The Spice Cellar this Saturday night. A favourite of the Melbourne underground scene, Aram’s regular visits to Spice are always hotly awaited. What gives him the edge? Well, Aram’s not concerned with fancy stuff. He understands that his duty, pure and simple, is to play good music.

“You’ve got to facilitate the dancefl oor and all the while tell your own story,” he says. “It’s so hard to honestly label what you play but I just like emotional music. It’s got to have a feeling to it.”

Aram came to recognition in the early years of this century, DJing at famed (and now defunct) Melbourne nightspot Honkytonks.

He was still in his late teens when he started DJing, and it was a love of underground culture that first attracted him to the decks.

“When I found Honkytonks, once going to those dance parties, I just loved hunting music and keeping up to date with that,” he says. “I was pretty much going to Honkytonks, sometimes by myself, just dancing and meeting people there, and that’s where I started DJing a year and a half after going there.”

Xxx

In a commercial sense, electronic music is going through something of a boom at present. The sound of EDM dominates airwaves and acts like Avicii and Hardwell have no trouble selling out massive outdoor dance events. However, Aram

“When I started, a lot of people had to spend their weekly wage on buying records and actually hunting down those records. There was defi nitely a lot more appreciation for the music you were buying.”

36 :: BRAG :: 574 :: 06:08:14

doesn’t believe the underground scene has undergone any major renovation as a result.

Good news for house and techno fans: it looks like you can lock in NYE visits from KiNK, Midland, Addison Groove and MØ after they were announced on the lineup for New Zealand’s Rhythm and Vines festival, while DnB heads can expect visits from Netsky, London Elektricity, DC Breaks and State Of Mind.

Staying on the touring tip: word has it that Brooklyn’s finest party-starters Mister Saturday Night will be visiting Sydney in mid-January, as will techno luminaries Marcel Dettmann and Luke Slater. You can also lock in a visit from Germany’s Tommy Four Seven next month with a Sydney date set to be announced next week. Don’t be surprised to see a tour from Jeremy Olander (who signed a three-release deal on Eric Prydz’s Pryda Friends label at the age of 23) in October, either.

Danny Tenaglia

Aram

German stalwart Robert Babicz will return to Sydney next month. A regular on seminal labels such as Systematic, Kompakt, Audiomatique, Out Of Orbit, Punkt and Treibstoff alongside his own Babiczstyle, Babicz is one of the most highly regarded names in Europe’s minimal techno scene. He’ll play a threehour live show at The ArtHouse on Saturday September 6 in the second instalment of NightsLikeThis.

Feeling a little charitable? Global electronic music publication Resident Advisor will be cycling to the Amsterdam Dance Event in order to raise money to supporting charities and initiatives that are beneficial for electronic music. Starting from their office in London, staff will cycle 300 miles across four countries alongside some of the globe’s biggest electronic artists including Chris Liebing, Midland and T. Williams. You can also win a Pioneer DJ set-up including CDJ 2000s and a DJM 900 mixer just by donating.

Visit residentadvisor.net/cycle for more information.

Midland

“There’s always been a few bars and a few crews that were throwing parties to cater for niche markets, so I don’t think there’s actually been a change. If you look hard enough you can find where you want to go to.

“When I started going out, probably 15 years ago, to dance parties and raves they had at the docks [in Melbourne], some of the parties were getting 12-15,000 people at an event.”

Another surface phenomenon seen in recent years is a huge outbreak of budding DJs encouraged by the usability of digital technology and high-speed internet connections. While the internet makes it easy to learn about tonnes of artists and immediately access their music, it hasn’t necessarily enhanced the quality of the average DJ. “When I started, a lot of people had to spend their weekly wage on buying records and actually hunting down those records,” Aram says. “There was defi nitely a lot more appreciation for the music you were buying.

Now you can just download anything and it doesn’t have as much of a value. If you’re downloading as well, you’re downloading all these new tunes. Whereas if you were buying your records for a couple of months you kind of had your sound and some of your staples in your set. You knew your records well, when to mix them in properly.”

So, how does Aram avoid the homogenising side effects of the digital age? His secret weapon is a carefully compiled record collection. Accumulated over multiple decades, Aram’s vinyl supply is an archive of quality material, which sustains his unique DJing personality.

“Lately I’ve appreciated not having to play just the new stuff that’s coming out. I’ve been going back some ten to 12 years and just pulling out all the tracks that a lot of the new kids that go out don’t really know about. I’ve enjoyed pulling out those really good records that not many people play anymore, but still sound just as good as the new stuff coming out.”

With: Space Junk, Sam Francisco, Dean Relf Where: The Spice Cellar When: Saturday August 9

RECOMMENDED THURSDAY AUGUST 7

Clive Henry

Andrés Goodgod Small Club

SATURDAY AUGUST 9 Clouds Chinese Laundry

SATURDAY AUGUST 16 Anklepants Chinese Laundry

SATURDAY AUGUST 23 Clive Henry TBA

Seekae Metro Theatre

SATURDAY AUGUST 30

Astral People’s 3rd Birthday Goodgod Small Club

SUNDAY AUGUST 31 Alexis Raphael Home Nightclub

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 6 Robert Babicz The ArtHouse

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 22 Âme TBA

Got any tip-offs, hate mail, praise or cat photos?

Email hey@tysonwray.com or contact me via carrier pigeon. thebrag.com

club guide g send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com

club pick of the week

Lloyd + Pink Lloyd The Spice Cellar, Sydney.

10pm. $15.

Voodoo Sydney Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 8pm. $25.

Ashley Wallbridge

SATURDAY AUGUST 9 HIP HOP & R&B

Nje Untaynable Launch - feat: DJ Riley Jm + Untaynable + 316 + Gabreal + Talisman + Rhyme Therapist + Elegal Liquid + DJ Tempo + Many More Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 9pm. $10.

CLUB NIGHTS

SATURDAY AUGUST 9

Marquee

Ashley Wallbridge + MaRLo 10pm. $28.60.

Cakes - feat: 4 Rooms Of Live Music + DJs And International Guests World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10.

Clouds + Indian Summer Chinese Laundry, Sydney.

10pm. $20.

El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills.

10pm. free.

El’ Circo - feat: Resident Circus Act Performers Slide Lounge, Darlinghurst.

7pm. $109.

FBi Hands Up! - feat: DJ Clockwerk + Special Friends With Benefits FBi Social, Kings Cross.

11:30pm. free.

Frat Saturdays - feat: DJ Jonski Side Bar, Sydney. 6pm. free.

Funkdafied 45 Sessions feat: Huwston + Makoto + DJ Soup + Krystel Diola +

JC + Benny Hinn Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. free.

Guilty Simpson + Katalyst The Basement, Circular Quay.

8pm. $24.10.

Jägermeister Spice Presents: Aram + Space Junk + Sam Francisco + Dean Relf The Spice Cellar, Sydney.

10pm. $25.

MaRLo + Ashley Wallbridge Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $28.60.

Masif Saturdays Space, Sydney. 10pm. $25.

Ministry Of Sound Sessions 11 - feat: New World Sound + Candy + Ben Morris + Baby Gee + Nanna Does + Fingers + Just 1 + Spenda C + Jace Disgrace + Danny Lang + Skoob + Devola + Heke + Pro/Gram + Stu Turner + Trent Rackus Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney.

6:30pm. $37.90.

Myon & Shane 54 Metro Theatre, Sydney. 10pm. $53.70.

Sienna Saturdays - feat: Resident DJs The Establishment, Sydney.

9pm. free.

Soda Saturdays - feat: Resident DJs Playing Disco And Funk Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

5pm. free.

SUNDAY AUGUST 10

CLUB NIGHTS

DJ Tom Kelly Goldfish, Kings Cross. 9pm. free.

The Wall - feat: Various Local And International Acts World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. $5.

Whip It Wednesdays - feat: Various DJs Whaat Club, Kings Cross.

9pm. free.

THURSDAY AUGUST 7 HIP HOP & R&B

Hip Hop Thursdays - feat: Loose Change + DJ Lopez + Tiny T Tattersalls Hotel Penrith, Penrith. 8:30pm. free.

Joyride Lo-fi, Darlinghurst. 6pm. free.

CLUB NIGHTS

Fear Of Dawn Goldfish, Kings Cross. 8pm. free.

Goldfish And Friends - feat: Regular Rotating Residents Goldfish, Kings Cross. 10pm. free.

Hot Damn Spectrum, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $10.

Kicks World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm.

thebrag.com

free.

Loopy - feat: Drty Csh + Daschwood + Generous Greed + Guest DJs The Backroom, Potts Point.

10pm. $12.

Pool Club Thursdays - feat: Resident DJs Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 5pm. free.

Red Bull Music Academy feat: Andrés AKA DJ Dez + Lorna Clarkson + Kato Goodgod Small Club, Sydney.

8pm. free.

Teebs + Polographia + Anomie + Nagakin Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $20.

The World Bar Thursdays World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. free.

Thursday Spice 07.08 feat: Ghostly DJs + Zues + Subake + Giesy The Spice Cellar, Sydney.

10pm. free.

FRIDAY AUGUST 8 HIP HOP & R&B

Hustler Fridays - feat: MC Shaba Hustle & Flow, Redfern. 7pm. free.

Jazz Hip-Hop Freestyle Sessions Foundry616, Ultimo. 11:30pm. $5.

Phat Play Friday - feat: DJ Adverse + DJ Juzzlikedat + Benny Hinn Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. free.

MONDAY AUGUST 11 CLUB NIGHTS

Crab Racing Scubar, Sydney. 7pm. free.

Mashup Monday - feat: Resident DJs Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. free.

TUESDAY AUGUST 12 CLUB NIGHTS

CLUB NIGHTS

La Fiesta - feat: Samantha Fox + Agee Ortiz + Av El Cubano + Resident DJ

Chu World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. free.

send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com

Andrés

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 6

Willie Sabor The Establishment, Sydney.

8pm. free.

S.A.S.H Sundays - feat: Declain Esau + James Greville + Nick McMartin + Dan Baartz + Jimi Polar + Hamish Radford + Scuba Stew + Roof + Jay Ivany + Matt Weir + Kerry Wallace Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 2pm. $10.

Sunday Sessions - feat: Cadell + Tom Kelly + Ocky Goldfish, Kings Cross. 4pm. free.

Sunday Space 10.08 - feat: Ghostly DJs + Jaded + Gerrit Oliver + Lloyd James The Spice Cellar, Sydney.

9pm. free.

Sundays In The City - feat: Various DJs The Slip Inn, Sydney. 12pm. free.

Guilty Simpson

True Vibenation + Soul Benefits + Paper Toy Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $15.

CLUB NIGHTS

Argyle Fridays - feat: Resident DJs The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. free.

Bassic - feat: Nick Thayer + Vengeance + Kyro + Ncrypt + Spenda C + Thierry D + Mr Pink Chinese Laundry, Sydney.

9pm. free.

El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills.

10pm. free.

Factory Fridays - feat: Resident DJs Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

5pm. free.

Feel Good Fridays Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. free.

Frisky Fridays Scubar, Sydney. 5pm. free.

K-Note Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $18.40.

Loco Friday - feat: Various Live Bands And DJs The Slip Inn, Sydney. 5pm. free.

Motorik And Finely Tuned feat: Jimmy Edgar Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction.

8pm. free.

Mutilate - feat: Lihan + Catzeyez + Mack Da Ripper + Mistortion + Hawk&Napz + Phoenix + H-Lock + The Saint Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 9pm. free.

Soft&Slow 08.08 - feat: James Fazzolari + Jamie

THURSDAY AUGUST 7 Red Bull Music Academy - feat: Andrés AKA DJ Dez + Lorna Clarkson + Kato Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. Free.

Teebs + Polographia + Anomie + Nagakin Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $20.

Thursday Spice 07.08 - feat: Ghostly DJs + Zues + Subake + Giesy The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. Free.

True Vibenation + Soul Benefits + Paper Toy Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $15.

FRIDAY AUGUST 8 K-Note Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $18.40.

Soft&Slow 08.08 - feat: James Fazzolari + Jamie Lloyd + Pink Lloyd The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $15.

SATURDAY AUGUST 9 Clouds + Indian Summer Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 10pm. $20.

Funkdafied 45 Sessions - feat: Huwston + Makoto + DJ Soup + Krystel Diola + Jc + Benny Hinn Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free.

Guilty Simpson + Katalyst The Basement, Circular Quay. 8pm. $24.10.

Jägermeister Spice Presents: Aram + Space Junk + Sam Francisco + Dean Relf The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $25.

Ministry Of Sound Sessions 11 - feat: New World Sound + Candy + Ben Morris + Baby Gee + Nanna Does + Fingers + Just 1 + Spenda C + Jace Disgrace + Danny Lang + Skoob + Devola + Heke + Pro/Gram + Stu Turner + Trent Rackus Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 6:30pm. $37.90.

Myon & Shane 54 Metro Theatre, Sydney. 10pm. $53.70.

SUNDAY AUGUST 10 S.A.S.H Sundays - feat: Declain Esau + James Greville + Nick McMartin + Dan Baartz + Jimi Polar + Hamish Radford + Scuba Stew + Roof + Jay Ivany + Matt Weir + Kerry Wallace Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 2pm. $10.

BRAG :: 574 :: 06:08:14 :: 37

snap

bassic launch party

PICS :: AM

up all night out all week . . .

ben morris

PICS :: AM

01:08:14 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 8295 9999

s.a.s.h sundays

PICS :: AM

02:08:14 :: The Goldfish :: 111 Darlinghurst Rd Potts Point 8354 6630

03:08:14 :: Home Nightclub :: 1-5 Wheat Rd Darling Harbour 9266 0600 38 :: BRAG :: 574 :: 06:08:14

OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER

:: ASHLEY MAR

thebrag.com

Australian Institute of Music

OPEN DAY

10AM - 3PM australian institute of music 1-55 FOVEAUX STREET, SURRY HILLS, sydney Contemporary Performance y Classical Performance y Music Theatre y Dramatic Arts Audio engineering y Composition & Music Production y Arts & Entertainment Management young AIM y AIM high school y short courses CRICOS 00665 665C